Remote distribution of software updates in a transportation management network

ABSTRACT

A network device includes a memory, a processor, a display, and a network communication module configured to receive vehicle data, driver information, and driver communications, at pre-determined times, from at least one portable wireless data transfer and display device via a long-range wireless network. The network device is configured to present the vehicle data, driver information, driver communication, driver summary electronic report to a user via the display. The network device is configured to remotely update of at least one portable wireless data transfer and display device or at least one data acquisition devices associated with a portable wireless data transfer and display device via the network communication module.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/682,004, filed Aug. 10, 2012, the entire contents of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to techniques for transportation management, andin particular, but without limitation, techniques for shipping and fleetmanagement.

BACKGROUND

Fleet vehicle operators have an interest in keeping track of thevehicles and shipments, for compliance with governmental regulations aswell as monitor the performance and well-being of their drivers. Fleetvehicles may be equipped with devices that are configured to track thevehicles' geographic locations, speeds, headings, cargo, cargotemperature, engine performance parameters, and other data. Suchinformation is used, for example, to maintain the vehicles, estimatedelivery times, provide warning of possible damage to cargo, and toevaluate driver performance.

Collection of fleet vehicle information may also be useful to producerecords for compliance with governmental regulations or companyrequirements. As examples, such records may include the number of milesa delivery vehicle has travelled since its last safety inspection andthe number of hours a driver has been on duty since he or she lastrested. This information was traditionally recorded on paper, e.g.,driver log books, or in proprietary electronic formats. In either case,ensuring compliance with governmental regulations or companyrequirements may be time consuming and such information may beinconvenient to access or share with regulatory inspectors or otherthird parties.

SUMMARY

This disclosure describes a number of techniques for communicating fleetvehicle information. Such techniques may utilize equipment for useinside a fleet vehicle to facilitate prompt and efficient transfer ofvehicle data and driver information. Such techniques may further includegenerating electronic reports that provide one or more of: driverinformation, hours of service information, and vehicle data. Theelectronic reports may be readily communicated to a remote networkdevice in a number of different manners. For example, a system mayinclude a data acquisition device mountable in a vehicle and a portablewireless data transfer and display device, e.g., a cellular phone, thatis configured to provide short-range, two-way wireless communication,e.g., Bluetooth communication, with the data acquisition device. In someexamples, the portable wireless data transfer and display device mayexport the electronic information to the remote device via a long-rangewireless connection, such as cellular link to facilitate real-time orapproximately real-time tracking of driver and vehicle information bythe remote device.

In one example, this disclosure is directed to a system comprising adata acquisition device configured to mount inside a vehicle and providea wired connection to the vehicle for gathering vehicle data from thevehicle during operation of the vehicle, the data acquisition devicebeing free of a user interface display, a portable wireless datatransfer and display device, and a remote network device. The dataacquisition device includes a first short-range wireless communicationmodule configured to wirelessly transmit, at predetermined times, thevehicle data to the portable wireless data transfer and display device.The portable wireless data transfer and display device includes a secondshort-range wireless communication module configured to wirelesslyreceive the vehicle data from the data acquisition device, in real-timeor at intervals that approximate real-time, when the data acquisitiondevice is mounted in the vehicle and the portable wireless data transferand display device is in close proximity to the vehicle, a communicationmodule configured to provide a communication link with the remotenetwork device via a long-range wireless network, a user interfaceconfigured to receive driver information from a first user and topresent at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, thecommunication information, an summary electronic reports to the firstuser via a first display. The remote network device is configured toreceive the vehicle data, the driver information, the communicationinformation, and the driver summary electronic report at predeterminedtimes from the portable wireless data transfer and display device, andpresent at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, thecommunication information, and the summary electronic report to a seconduser via second display.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a system comprising ameans for gathering vehicle data from a vehicle during operation of thevehicle, a means for wirelessly receiving the vehicle data from themeans gathering vehicle data in real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, and a remote network device configured to receivethe vehicle data from the means for wirelessly receiving the vehicledata and present the vehicle data to a user.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a data acquisitiondevice comprising a wired module configured to provide a wiredconnection to a vehicle for gathering vehicle data from the vehicleduring operation of the vehicle. The data acquisition device isconfigured to be mounted inside the vehicle, and a short-range wirelesscommunication module configured to wirelessly send the vehicle data inreal-time to a portable wireless data transfer and display device inclose proximity to the data acquisition device during operation of thevehicle.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a device comprising ameans for gathering vehicle data from the vehicle during operation ofthe vehicle, and a means for wirelessly sending the vehicle data inreal-time to a portable wireless data transfer and display device duringoperation of the vehicle.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device comprising a user interface, acommunication module, a display, a short-range wireless communicationmodule configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data from a dataacquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity tothe data acquisition device. The portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is configured to accept inputs of driver information froma user via the user interface, and a long-range wireless communicationmodule configured to send the vehicle data and the driver informationthrough the communication module in real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time to a remote network device via a long-rangewireless network. The portable wireless data transfer and display deviceis further configured to present at least one of the vehicle data, thedriver information, processed data, and driver communications to theuser via the display.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a device comprising ameans for wirelessly receiving vehicle data from a data acquisitiondevice mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the dataacquisition device, a means for accepting inputs of driver informationfrom a user, a means for sending the vehicle data and the driverinformation through the communication module in real-time or atintervals that approximate real-time to a remote network device via along-range wireless network, and a means for presenting at least one ofthe vehicle data, the driver information, processed data, drivercommunications to the user.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a memory, a processor, a display, and a network communicationmodule configured to receive vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, at pre-determined times, from at least oneportable wireless data transfer and display device via a long-rangewireless network. The memory configured to store the vehicle data, thedriver information, and the driver communications. The processor isconfigured to process at least one of the vehicle data, the driverinformation, and the driver communication into summary electronicreports. The network device is configured to send the vehicle data, thedriver information, the driver communication, and the summary electronicreports via the network communication module to at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wirelessnetwork. The network device is configured to present the vehicle data,driver information, driver communication, driver summary electronicreport to a user via the display. The network device is configured toremotely update of at least one portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device or at least one data acquisition devices associated witha portable wireless data transfer and display device via the networkcommunication module.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a means for receiving vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, at pre-determined times, from at least oneportable wireless data transfer and display device via a long-rangewireless network, a means for processing at least one of the vehicledata, the driver information, and the driver communication into summaryelectronic reports, a means for sending the vehicle data, the driverinformation, the driver communication, and the summary electronicreports to at least one portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice via the long-range wireless network, a means for presenting thevehicle data, driver information, driver communication, driver summaryelectronic report to a user, and a means for remotely updating of atleast one portable wireless data transfer and display device or at leastone data acquisition devices associated with a portable wireless datatransfer and display device.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a method comprisingreceiving vehicle data, driver information, and driver communications,at pre-determined times, from at least one portable wireless datatransfer and display device via a long-range wireless network,processing at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, andthe driver communication into summary electronic reports, sending thevehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, and thesummary electronic reports to at least one portable wireless datatransfer and display device via the long-range wireless network,presenting the vehicle data, driver information, driver communication,driver summary electronic report to a user, and remotely updating of atleast one portable wireless data transfer and display device or at leastone data acquisition devices associated with a portable wireless datatransfer and display device.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device comprising a user interface, acommunication module, a display, a short-range wireless communicationmodule configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data from a dataacquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity tothe data acquisition device. The portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is configured to accept inputs of driver information froma user via the user interface. The portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is configured to associate the inputs of driverinformation with the vehicle data, and a long-range wirelesscommunication module configured to send the vehicle data and the driverinformation, and the association of the vehicle data and the driverinformation through the communication module to a remote network devicevia a long-range wireless network. The portable wireless data transferand display device is further configured to present at least one of thevehicle data, the driver information, processed data, and drivercommunications to a user via the display.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a system comprising adata acquisition device configured to mount inside a vehicle and providea wired connection to the vehicle for gathering vehicle data from thevehicle during operation of the vehicle, the data acquisition devicebeing free of a user interface display, a portable wireless datatransfer and display device, and a remote network device. The dataacquisition device includes a first short-range wireless communicationmodule configured to wirelessly transmit the vehicle data to theportable wireless data transfer and display device. The portablewireless data transfer and display device includes a second short-rangewireless communication module configured to wirelessly receive thevehicle data from the data acquisition device when the data acquisitiondevice is mounted in the vehicle and the portable wireless data transferand display device is in close proximity to the vehicle. The portablewireless data transfer and display device is configured to accept inputsof driver information from a first user via a user interface. Theportable wireless data transfer and display device is configured toassociate the inputs of driver information with the vehicle data. Theportable wireless data transfer and display device further includes along-range wireless communication module. The portable wireless datatransfer and display device is configured to send the vehicle data andthe driver information, and the association of the vehicle data and thedriver information through the communication module to a remote networkdevice via a long-range wireless network. The remote network device isconfigured to receive the vehicle data and the driver information, andthe association of the vehicle data and the driver information from theportable wireless data transfer and display device, and present at leastone of the vehicle data, and the association of the vehicle data and thedriver information to a second user via second display.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device comprising a user interface, acommunication module, a display, a short-range wireless communicationmodule configured to wirelessly receive vehicle data from a dataacquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity tothe data acquisition device. The portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is configured to accept inputs of driver information froma user via the user interface, and a long-range wireless communicationmodule configured to send the vehicle data and the driver informationthrough the communication module at predetermined times to a networkdevice via a long-range wireless network, and to receive one or morework requests from the network device via the long-range wirelessnetwork. The portable wireless data transfer and display device isconfigured to present the work request via the display and to accept aninput from a driver responding to the work request via the userinterface. The portable wireless data transfer and display device isconfigured to forward the input from the driver responding to the workrequest to the network device via the long-range wireless communicationmodule and the long-range wireless network.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a device comprising ameans for wirelessly receiving vehicle data from a data acquisitiondevice mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the dataacquisition device, a means for accepting inputs of driver informationfrom a user, a means for sending the vehicle data and the driverinformation through the communication module to a remote network devicevia a long-range wireless network, a means for receiving one or morework requests from the network device via the long-range wirelessnetwork, a means for receiving an input from a driver responding to thework request, and a means for forwarding the input from the driverresponding to the work request to the network device via the long-rangewireless network

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device comprising a user interface, a display,a processor, and a short-range wireless communication module configuredto wirelessly receive vehicle data, in real-time, from a dataacquisition device mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity tothe data acquisition device. The portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is configured to receive an input of driver informationand driver communications from a user via the user interface. Theshort-range wireless communication module is configured to communicatetwo ways, in real-time, the driver communications via a long-rangewireless network. The portable wireless data transfer and display deviceis configured to process into a trip schedule at least one of thevehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications viathe processor. The portable wireless data transfer and display device isfurther configured to present the trip schedule and the drivercommunications to the user via the display.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a device comprising ameans for wirelessly receiving vehicle data from a data acquisitiondevice mounted inside a vehicle when in close proximity to the dataacquisition device, a means for accepting inputs of driver informationfrom a user, a means for sending the vehicle data and the driverinformation through the communication module to a remote network devicevia a long-range wireless network, a means for receiving an input ofdriver information and driver communications from a user, a means forprocessing, into a trip schedule, at least one of the vehicle data, thedriver information, and the driver communications, and a means forpresenting, in real-time, the trip schedule and the drivercommunications to the user.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a memory, a display, a processor, and a network communicationmodule configured to receive vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, at pre-determined times, from a plurality ofportable wireless data transfer and display device via a long-rangewireless network, each portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality ofvehicles. The memory configured to store the vehicle data, the driverinformation, and the driver communications. The processor is configuredto process at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, andthe driver communication into summary electronic reports. The networkdevice is configured to present the vehicle data, the driverinformation, the driver communication, and the summary electronic reportof the plurality of vehicles in real-time by location via the display.The network device is configured to allow for selection of the driverspresented and is configured to send work requests to wireless devices inuse by the selection of the drivers presented.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a means for receiving vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, at pre-determined times, from a plurality ofportable wireless data transfer and display devices, each portablewireless data transfer and display device being associated with acorresponding one of a plurality of vehicles, via a long-range wirelessnetwork, a means for storing the vehicle data, the driver information,and the driver communications, a means for processing at least one ofthe vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communicationinto summary electronic reports, a means for presenting the vehicledata, the driver information, the driver communication, and the summaryelectronic report of the plurality of vehicles in real-time by location,a means for receiving a selection of the drivers presented, and a meansfor sending work requests to wireless devices in use by the selection ofthe drivers presented.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a memory, a display, a user interface, a networkcommunication module configured to receive vehicle data, driverinformation, and driver communications, at pre-determined times, from aplurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices via along-range wireless network. The network communication module is furtherconfigured to receive a network communication from one or more of theportable wireless data transfer and display devices via the long-rangewireless network. The network device is configured to store the vehicledata, the driver information, the driver communication, and the networkcommunication in the memory. The network device is configured to presentthe vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, andthe network communications from the plurality of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices via the display. The user interface isconfigured to allow for selection of the drivers presented and isconfigured to accept user inputs of network communications via the userinterface. The network communication module is further configured tosend the network communications to the plurality of portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices via the long-range wireless network.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a network devicecomprising a means for receiving vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, at pre-determined times, from a plurality ofportable wireless data transfer and display devices via a long-rangewireless network, a means for receiving a network communication from oneor more of the portable wireless data transfer and display devices viathe long-range wireless network, a means for storing the vehicle data,the driver information, the driver communication, and the networkcommunication, a means for presenting the vehicle data, the driverinformation, the driver communication, and the network communicationsfrom the plurality of portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices, a means for accepting user inputs of network communications,and a means for sending the network communications to the plurality ofportable wireless data transfer and display devices via the long-rangewireless network.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a method comprisingreceiving vehicle data, driver information, and driver communications,at pre-determined times, from a plurality of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices via a long-range wireless network,receiving a network communication from one or more of the portablewireless data transfer and display devices via the long-range wirelessnetwork, storing the vehicle data, the driver information, the drivercommunication, and the network communication, presenting the vehicledata, the driver information, the driver communication, and the networkcommunications from the plurality of portable wireless data transfer anddisplay devices, accepting user inputs of network communications, andsending the network communications to the plurality of portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices via the long-range wireless network.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a computing devicecomprising a user interface, a network interface configured to receivevehicle data, driver information, and driver communications, a memoryconfigured to store the vehicle data, the driver information, and thedriver communications, and a processor configured to process the vehicledata, the driver information, and the driver communications into anelectronic driver scorecard according to specified safety and efficiencycriteria. The electronic driver scorecard comprises one or morealphanumerical ratings according to a selection of drivers as input by auser into the user interface.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a computing devicecomprising a means for receiving vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications, a means for storing the vehicle data, the driverinformation, and the driver communications via memory, and a means forprocessing the vehicle data, the driver information, and the drivercommunications into an electronic driver scorecard according tospecified safety and efficiency criteria via the processor. Theelectronic driver scorecard comprises one or more alphanumerical ratingsaccording to a selection of drivers as selected by a user.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a method comprisingreceiving vehicle data and driver information with a network interfaceof a computing device, storing the vehicle data and the driverinformation with a memory of the computing device, and processing thevehicle data and the driver information into an electronic driverscorecard according to specified safety and efficiency with a processorof the computing device. The electronic driver scorecard comprises oneor more alphanumerical ratings according to a selection of drivers asinput by a user into a user interface of the computing device.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages may be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual illustration of an example a fleet managementsystem.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration of driver and vehicle informationcommunications for a single vehicle in the fleet management system ofFIG. 1 in further detail.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual illustration of the system of FIG. 2 incombination with an external storage device.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate an example user interfaces on a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device of the fleet management system of FIG.1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating techniques for communicating anelectronic report or other data from a data acquisition device via anexternal storage device.

FIG. 6 is flowchart illustrating example techniques for using a portablewireless data transfer and display device to transmit data to a networkdevice.

FIG. 7 is illustrates example computing devices suitable forimplementing the techniques for managing driver and vehicle informationas described herein.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for using aportable wireless data transfer and display device for communicating onwork requests.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for associatingvehicle usage information with a driver using a portable wireless datatransfer and display device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for associatinginputs of driver information with vehicle data using a portable wirelessdata transfer and display device.

FIG. 11 illustrates a user interface of a network device presentingvehicle data, driver information, driver communication, and summaryelectronic report of the plurality of vehicles in a real-time bylocation display.

FIG. 12 illustrates a user interface of a network device presenting anelectronic driver scorecard according to specified safety and efficiencycriteria.

FIG. 13 illustrates a user interface of a network device presenting adetailed driving log for a selected driver.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for generatingelectronic driver scorecards.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for sendingnetwork communications to selected drivers via the plurality of portablewireless data transfer and display devices associated with those driversvia the long-range wireless network.

FIG. 16 illustrates a portable wireless data transfer and display deviceincluding a user interface presenting a variety of driver and vehicleinformation for a commercial driver.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating example techniques for presentingwork requests to a commercial driver via a portable wireless datatransfer and display device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates example fleet management system 100. Fleet managementsystem 100 includes a collection of vehicles 102 a-102 c equipped withdata acquisition devices 106 a-106 c and accompanying portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices 112 a-112 c. In particular, examples,portable wireless data transfer and display devices 112 a-112 c may becellular phones or other commercially available long-range wirelesscommunication devices. Fleet management system 100 further includescontrol center 104, which facilitates remote monitoring of vehicles 102a-102 c.

Data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c are configured to mount insidevehicles 102 a-102 c and provide a connection to the vehicles forgathering vehicle data from the vehicle during operation of the vehicle.This vehicle data may then be forwarded to the corresponding datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c. Portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c each include a user interface,which may be used to receive information from the driver and/or presentvehicle information to the driver. The user interfaces of the portablewireless data transfer and display devices may be configured to presentat least one of: the vehicle data, the driver information, the drivercommunications, or a driver summary electronic report.

Portable wireless data transfer and display devices 112 a-112 ccommunicate with a remote network device of control center 104. Controlcenter 104 represents a physical or conceptual location in which vehicleinformation about vehicles 102 a-102 c, along with the vehicle's driverinformation, their driver communications, and driver summary electronicreports of their work history, is collected and used.

Remote control center 104 is configured to receive the vehicle data, thedriver information, the communication information, and the driversummary electronic report, at predetermined times, such as at real-timeor at intervals that approximate real-time, from portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c through long-range network 120a-120 c. The network device then presents at least one of the vehicledata, the driver information, the communication information and thesummary electronic report to a user via a display.

As mentioned previously, data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c areelectronic devices that collect vehicle data about vehicles' 102 a-102c, such as location, speed, operational parameters, acceleration,operating hours, and/or other vehicle-related information. For example,data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c may receive location informationsuch as global positioning system (GPS) signals 108 from GPS satellites109 to determine the locations of their respective vehicles 102 a-102 c.Also, data acquisition device 106 a-106 c may be configured toelectrically connect with an engine control module (refer to FIG. 2) soas to receive vehicle operation information, e.g., speed, operationalparameters, acceleration/braking data, fuel usage, and the like, forstorage within a memory module and through usage of devices such asaccelerometers.

In some examples, the connection to the vehicle may be a wiredconnection; in other examples, the connection to the vehicle may be awireless connection. Periods of operation of the vehicle may includeperiods when the vehicle is in motion, idle or while any electroniccomponent of the vehicle is active. In some examples, data acquisitiondevices 106 a-106 c may be free of a user interface display altogether.Instead, data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c may interact with a user,such as a driver, via one of portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices 112 a-112 c.

In some examples, each data acquisition device 106 includes ashort-range wireless communication module configured to wirelesslytransmit vehicle data to a corresponding portable wireless data transferand display device 112. The vehicle data may be transmitted atpredetermined times, such as at real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, e.g., intervals of less than 5 minutes, less than3 minutes, less than 2 minutes, less than 1 minute or even less than 30seconds. Likewise, the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices 112 a-112 c may include a short-range wireless communicationmodules configured to wirelessly receive the vehicle data from acorresponding data acquisition device 106. This may occur atpredetermined times, such as at real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, when the data acquisition device is mounted inthe vehicle and the portable wireless data transfer and display deviceis in close proximity to the vehicle. In other examples, communicationsbetween a data acquisition device and a portable wireless data transferand display device may occur over a wired connection, such as aconnection conforming to a universal serial bus (USB) standard, such asUSB 1.1, USB 2.0. USB 3.0 or other wired connection. The portablewireless data transfer and display devices also include a communicationmodule configured to provide a communication link with the remotenetwork device via long-range wireless network 120 a-120 c.

Still referring to FIG. 1, each of data acquisition device 106 a-106 cmay communicate with a corresponding portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a-112 c, at predetermined times, such as at real-timeor at intervals that approximate real-time, using a short-range wirelesscommunication module, which may also be positioned inside or in closeproximity to vehicle 102 a-102 c. These signals are received by theportable wireless data transfer and display devices through the devicesown short-range wireless network communication modules. In particular,each of portable wireless data transfer and display devices 112 a-112 cmay be carried by the driver of the corresponding vehicle 102 a-102 c.

Each portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a-112 c isconfigured to wirelessly communicate with a corresponding dataacquisition device 106 a-106 c, respectively, mounted in the vehiclewhile the driver is operating the vehicle. For example, during use offleet vehicle 102 a, data acquisition device 106 a and portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a may wirelessly communicate whileboth data acquisition device 106 a and portable wireless data transferand display device 112 a are positioned inside vehicle 102 a. In suchcircumstances, data acquisition device 106 a and the correspondingportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may operate assystem 110 a (FIGS. 2-3) for communicating information about vehicle 102a and its driver.

Still referring to FIG. 1, in this example, data acquisition device 106a communicates with portable wireless data transfer and display device112 a over short-range wireless link 114 a. Portable wireless datatransfer and display device 106 a provides a user interface for dataacquisition device 106 a. Similarly, data acquisition devices 106 b and106 c communicate with portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices 112 b and 112 c, respectively, over a short-range wireless links114 b and 114 c. In those examples in which portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a-112 c provides the user interface forthe respective data acquisition device 106 a-106 c, each dataacquisition device 106 a-106 c may be constructed as a displayless unitthat is free of any user interface display mounted thereto, therebyreducing the size of data acquisition device 106 a, e.g., providing forsimplified installation and, optionally, concealed installation insidethe vehicle, and reducing the manufacturing complexities for dataacquisition device 106 a. In some implementations, portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices 112 a-112 c may be cellulartelephones, satellite telephones, portable computers, tablet computers,personal digital assistants (PDAs), or other mobile computing devicesthat are programmed to wirelessly communicate with one or more of dataacquisition device 106 a-106 c. As such, each portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a-112 c may be separately housed fromits corresponding data acquisition device 106 a-106 c so that portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a-112 c may be carried bythe vehicle driver or other user outside of vehicle 102 a-102 c whiledata acquisition device 106 a-106 c remains mounted inside vehicle 102a-102 c.

In some implementations, wireless links 114 a-114 c may be short-rangewireless communications links, such as Bluetooth, wireless Ethernet(WiFi) including WiFi 802.11, ZigBee, near-field communications (NFC),infrared (IrDA), block linear turbo equalization (BLTE) or any othersuitable short-range wireless communication link utilized by theshort-range wireless communication modules utilized by the dataacquisition devices and portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices.

In some examples, each portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a-112 c may communicate two ways with an associated dataacquisition devices 106 a-106 c. In such examples, the data acquisitiondevice may receive the driver information from the portable wirelessdata transfer and display device, while the portable wireless datatransfer and display device receives vehicle information from the dataacquisition device. This may be done at predetermined times when bothitems are positioned inside vehicle 102 a-102 c, e.g., while dataacquisition device 106 a is mounted inside vehicle 102 a and portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a is carried by the driverin the vehicle or otherwise temporarily placed inside the vehicle cabin.Moreover, because each portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a-112 c is portable relative to its respective dataacquisition device 106 a-106 c, the driver or other human user may viewor input driver information on the user interface of portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a-112 c both when the driver isseated inside the vehicle and when the driver is positioned outside thevehicle in proximity thereto, e.g., while inspecting the exterior of thevehicle, refueling, or sitting in a nearby building. Furthermore, evenwhen the portable wireless data transfer and display device is outsidethe proximity thereto, the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice may still communicate wirelessly with remote control center 104using a long-range wireless network 120 a-120 c and with other mobilecommunications devices using long-range wireless network 800 a-800 b.

In use, each wireless link 114 a-114 c transmits information between therespective data acquisition device 106 a-106 c and its correspondingportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a-112 c. In someimplementations, data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c do not providetheir own user interfaces, e.g., displays, input buttons, but insteadwirelessly communicate bi-directionally with portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a-112 c to provide user interfacefunctions for the overall mobile system 110 a (refer, for example, toFIG. 2). For example, data acquisition device 106 a may wirelesslycommunicate vehicle data through short range wireless link 114 a so thatportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may update anddisplay hours of service information on the display screen carried bythe driver. In another example, data acquisition device 106 a maydetermine the location of vehicle 102 a and wirelessly communicate thelocation information to portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a so that portable wireless data transfer and display device112 a may display the location on a map. Example uses of portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a-112 c as user interfacesfor data acquisition device 106 a-106 c are discussed further in thedescriptions of FIGS. 2-5.

In use, portable wireless data transfer and display devices 112 a-112 cmay communicate with at least one control center 104 over a collectionof wireless links 120 a-120 c with one or more transceivers 122. Theymay also communicate with one or more other portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c through long-range networks 800a-800 b. Information that may be communicated among portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices and remote networks includes thevehicle data, the driver information, driver communications, and driversummary electronic reports. The driver summary electronic reports mayinclude identification information for the driver, and hours of serviceinformation for the driver. This information may be viewed on thedisplays of the portable wireless data transfer and display devices. Insome implementations, wireless links 120 a-120 c and 800 a-800 b may beshort-range links, such as WiFi etc., or long-range wireless links, suchas cellular communication links, satellite communication links, WiMAXlinks, long term evolution (LTE) links, or any other suitable form oflong-range wireless link that may communicate data among portablewireless data transfer and display devices 112 a-112 c and controlcenter 104.

In an example, transceiver 122 may be a cellular antenna tower that isconfigured to provide cellular data links to a variety of cellulartelephones within a particular geographic range. Transceiver 122 may becommunicatively connected to base station 124. In some implementations,base station 124 may be a cellular data communications provider,satellite communications provider, or any other appropriate wirelesscommunications provider.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a network 130 communicatively connects basestation 124 with control center 104. In some examples, network 130 mayinclude the Internet or other public or private data networks. Inalternative examples in which one or more of portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a-112 c include a satellite phone, atleast one of long-range wireless links 120 a-120 c may be a satellitecommunication link and transceiver 122 may be a satellite communicationapparatus.

A mentioned previously, control center 104 exchanges information withdata acquisition devices 106 a-106 c (via portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c) and the portable wireless datatransfer and display devices monitor the status of vehicles 102 a-102 cand the drivers within. For example, control center 104 may track thelocations of vehicles 102 a-102 c in order to estimate delivery orpickup times, or to coordinate the dispatch of vehicles 102 a-102 c topick up a delivery, e.g., by dispatching vehicle 102 a-102 c closest tothe pickup location. In another example, control center 104 may monitorvehicles' 102 a-102 c operating parameters to coordinate repairs ormaintenance, e.g., monitor temperatures of refrigerated cargo, ormonitor engine warning signals. Control center 104 may also receive orsend information to portable wireless data transfer and display devices114 a-114 c, including, but not limited to, vehicle data, driverinformation, communication information, and driver summary electronicreports, at predetermined times.

A remote network user may furthermore view this collection ofinformation on a display screen of a remote device on network 130. Theremote network user or control center 104 may find that certain portablewireless data transfer and display devices are out of date and may beconfigured to send electronic updates to portable wireless data transferand display devices 112 a-112 c. Correspondingly, the portable wirelessdata transfer and display device may be configured to receive theseupdates and self-install them.

Another form of information generated by the system for communication tothe network device is driver information, which may include dataindicative of the hours of service when the driver is on duty on aparticular day. In some implementations, the driver information may beautomatically converted into driver summary electronic reports(including hours of service records, driver identification information,etc.) that are readily exportable via the USB port of data acquisitiondevice 106 a-106 c (FIG. 3) or via wireless link 120 a-120 c of portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a-112 c. In this example,these portable wireless data transfer and display devices may furtherrelay information to each other through long-range networks 800 a-800 cor to control center 104 through long-range networks 120 a-120 c.

For example, data acquisition device 106 a may collect the vehicle dataover a period of time when a particular driver is using vehicle 102 a,and data acquisition device 106 a can, at predetermined times, such asat real-time or at intervals that approximate real-time, transfer thisvehicle information to corresponding portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a linked thereto via Bluetooth connection 114 a.Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may also accessthe driver information, either by input by the driver into the portablewireless data transfer and display device or by receiving driverinformation from another portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice or control center 104. From there, the driver information may bewirelessly communicated via cellular link 120 a to control center 104,wirelessly communicated via Bluetooth link 114 a to data acquisitiondevice 106 a for subsequent exporting via the USB port to a remotedevice (refer to FIG. 3), wirelessly communicated via a cellular link toportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 b-112 c,wirelessly communicated to remote computer 150, or some combination ofthe aforementioned. Regarding the process for exporting vehicle data ordriver information via the USB port, data acquisition device 106 a maybe configured to output the driver summary electronic report directly toa temporarily connected external computer device 150, e.g., a notebookcomputer, or a portable storage device 152, e.g., a USB thumb drive, aportable hard drive, provided by a vehicle inspector 154, e.g., a lawenforcement official, a regulatory inspector, or the like. In suchcircumstances, the vehicle inspector 154 may conveniently plug theexternal computer device 150 or portable storage device 152 into the USBport provided by data acquisition device 106 a to facilitate a transferof the requested data from data acquisition device 106 a. Thus, dataacquisition device 106 a and portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 are two separately housed instruments that act together as asystem to generate and communicate the vehicle data and driverinformation associated with the driver. Additionally, external computerdevice 150 may acquire the requested data directly from portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a through network 801, ormay receive the information from control center 104 through wirelessnetwork connection 802.

Communication among network devices, the data acquisition devices, theportable wireless display and transfer units, and other communicationdevices and computers may be configured to occur at predetermined times.In different examples, predetermined times may include consistentperiodic intervals, real-time communication, and times corresponding toparticular events such as: driver events, communication events, vehicleevents, safety events, remote network device events, data acquisitiondevice events, and portable wireless display and transfer unit events.Additionally, predetermined times may include times such as when theportable wireless data transfer and display device is connected to thelong-range wireless network, and periodical intervals when the portablewireless data transfer and display device is connected to the long-rangewireless network. This facilitates real-time or approximately real-timeupdates of driver and vehicle data at a remote computing device viacontrol center 104. This may improve transportation management byimproving the reliability and accuracy of driver and vehicle informationavailable via control center 104.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration of driver and vehicle informationcommunications for a single vehicle in system 110 a for communicatingfleet vehicle information of FIG. 1 in further detail. Specifically,FIG. 2 illustrates data acquisition device 106 a as mounted in vehicle102 a and portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a infurther detail. Data acquisition device 106 a is mounted in vehicle 102a and is electrically connected to engine control module (ECM) 202 ofvehicle 102 a vehicle 102 a. In particular, data acquisition device 106a may include an input cable, e.g., data bus 204, which electricallyconnects to a mating connector of ECM 202 within vehicle 102 a.

In some implementations, ECM 202 is an electronic device that monitorsand/or controls various functions of vehicle 102 a. For example, ECM 202may monitor vehicle speed, engine speed, coolant temperature, vehiclemileage, cargo environmental parameters, and any other appropriatevehicle parameters. In this example, data acquisition device 106 a isconfigured to mount directly to a dash component inside the cabin ofvehicle 102 a. As previously described, data acquisition device 106 amay be a displayless unit that is without any user interface displayscreen, thereby reducing the size of the unit 106 a and facilitating asimplified installation process. User interface 208 of portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a may be used as a portable userinterface for data acquisition device 106 a when the unit 106 acommunicates with portable wireless data transfer and display device 112a over Bluetooth connection 114 a.

In some examples, data acquisition device 106 a may include a singleprinted circuit board upon which all of its electronic circuitry ismounted, thereby limiting the size and manufacturing complexities of theunit 106 a. It should be understood from the description herein, thatdata acquisition device 106 a is depicted as an enlarged size in FIGS.2-3 for purposes of illustration only, and that the actual size of dataacquisition device 106 a may be significantly smaller. For example, insome examples, data acquisition device 106 a has a maximum length ofabout 8 inches, a maximum width of about 6.5 inches, and a maximumheight of about 1.5 inches. As mentioned previously, the dataacquisition device may include a short-range communication module forsending the vehicle data in real-time to a portable wireless datatransfer and display device. This occurs when the data acquisitiondevice is mounted in the vehicle and the portable wireless data transferand display device is within close proximity to the data acquisitiondevice.

As referred to herein, real-time communications represent data pushedover a communication channel that is active once the data is collected.For example, data acquisition device 106 a pushes vehicle data gatheredto portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a over apreexisting connection. Of course, the actual time period for this“real-time” communication is a time period greater than zero. In someexamples, the real-time communication is less than 1 second, and mayalso be less than 0.1 seconds, less than 50 milliseconds, less than 20milliseconds, or even less than 20 milliseconds.

In some implementations, data acquisition device 106 a may detect theparticular type of communications protocol employed by ECM 202, andautomatically adapt to the detected protocol in order to communicatewith ECM 202. In these circumstances, data acquisition device 106 a maybe installed in any one of a number of different types of vehicles,e.g., a class 8 large truck, a class 1 car, or the like, and theinstaller's act of connecting cable 204 to the vehicle's ECM 202 mayprompt the control circuitry of data acquisition device 106 a toautomatically recognize the type of vehicle in which it is installed. Assuch, some examples of data acquisition device 106 a need not bemanufactured or preprogrammed in a vehicle-specific manner. For example,in some implementations, ECM 202 may implement a controller area network(CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN), a vehicle area network (VAN),FlexRay, J1939, ISO-11783, domestic digital bus (D2B), IDB-1394,SmartWireX, MOST, J1850, ISO-9141, J1708, J1587, SPI, IIC, or any othercommunications protocol for communicating with data acquisition device106 a through data bus 204. These communications may be further passedon to portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a which mayfurther communicate as shown in FIG. 1. In such circumstances, dataacquisition device 106 a may detect the combination and/or signal levelsimplemented over data bus 204, may analyze incoming data traffic, and/ormay query ECM 202 using various protocols and receive correspondingresponses in order to determine the protocol in use by ECM 202.

In some implementations, the connector on the end of the data bus cable204, e.g., the end that connects to ECM 202, may include a connectionjack having more data lines than are provided by ECM 202. Multipleconverters may be provided to adapt a subset of the port's data lines toa variety of configurations of data bus 204. For example, passenger carsand other “class 1” vehicles may provide a connector that is compliantwith the on-board diagnostic (OBD) II specification, while large trucksand other “class 8” vehicles may provide a connector that is compliantwith the heavy-duty OBD (HDOBD) specification. In such examples, oneconverter may be provided to adapt the port to connect to OBDII databuses, and another may be provided to adapt the port to connect to HDOBDdata buses. Data acquisition device 106 a may sense the configuration ofan attached converter to determine the appropriate protocol to use forcommunication with ECM 202.

In some examples, data acquisition device 106 a may be configured tosimultaneously communicate via multiple protocols at once of one or moreengine control modules. For instance, data acquisition device 106 a maybe configured to communicate via the J1939 and J1708 protocols at thesame time. This feature may be useful, for example, for a vehicle inwhich ECM 202 communicates in two different protocols, e.g.,communicates some information (braking information) on one engine busand other information, e.g., fuel information, on another engine bus.Also, this feature may be useful when a single vehicle includes multipleECMs 202 that employed different protocols. Thus, data acquisitiondevice 106 a may to gather some vehicle information appears on oneengine bus, and to gather other vehicle information on another enginebus. In one implementation, cable 204 may have a first set of wires thatare configured to connect with a first ECM (or a first engine bus of anindividual ECM) while a second set of wires are configured to mate witha second ECM (or a second engine bus of the individual ECM. Any suchvehicle data attained through the ECM could be stored within memory ofthe data acquisition device.

Furthermore, in particular examples in which ECM 202 or engine bus 204may not provide a direct odometer reading, data acquisition device 106 amay be configured to interpret other engine parameters to create an“effective odometer reading” of vehicle 102 a starting at the point whendata acquisition device 106 a was installed in vehicle 102 a. Forexample, data acquisition device 106 a may receive data indicative ofvehicle speed, e.g., used in combination with an internal clock or timerof data acquisition device 106 a, or data indicative of distanceincrements, e.g., distance pulses every 0.1 miles, so as to generate an“effective odometer reading” for vehicle 102 a. Accordingly, system 110a may be used to comply with distance and odometer reportingrequirements (via an electronic report) even if ECM 202 or engine bus204 of vehicle 102 a does not directly provide odometer readings. Inaddition, system 110 a may prompt an installer or other user to manuallyinput the vehicle odometer reading (as shown on the dash of the vehicle)when data acquisition device 106 a is initially installed so that the“effective odometer reading” calculated by the system 110 is asubstantially accurate estimation of the actual total mileage of vehicle102 a.

As described previously, data acquisition device 106 a receives locationinformation, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals 108 fromGPS satellites 109 to determine the location of vehicle 102 a. Forexample, data acquisition device 106 a may be equipped with a GPSreceiver device that receives signals from GPS satellite 109 so thatdata acquisition device 106 a may receive coordinate information, e.g.,longitude and latitude coordinates, and time information, e.g., currenttime. In addition, in some examples, data acquisition device 106 a maybe equipped with one or more accelerometers 203 to detect particulartypes of vehicle movement, such as hard brakes, acceleration, and lanechanges. Instances of this type of vehicle movement may be recorded bydata acquisition device 106 a may communicated to control center 104 viaportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a for purposes ofsafety monitoring by a fleet manager or other system user. Thus, duringoperation of the vehicle, some examples of data acquisition device 106 amay receive input information from a combination of ECM 202 of vehicle102 a, the GPS system, and the one or more internal accelerometers 203.

Still referring to FIG. 2, data acquisition device 106 a collectsinformation from the various inputs, e.g., ECM 202, the GPS system, andthe one or more accelerometers 203, and stores the vehicle informationas data in a computer-readable memory module 206. As previouslydescribed, in this example, data acquisition device 106 a may bedisplayless and thus has no user interface of its own with which to leta user view or interact with the vehicle information. Rather, in thisexample, data acquisition device 106 a communicates the vehicleinformation from memory module 206 to portable wireless data transferand display device 112 a over Bluetooth connection 114 a, and thevehicle data may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory116 of portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a.Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a provides userinterface 208 with which the user may access some or all the vehicleinformation. Examples of user interfaces are discussed in further detailin the descriptions of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In addition to displaying some or all of the vehicle data on portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a, the vehicle data mayalso be transmitted two ways with another electronic device or controlcenter 104 for review and archiving or other purposes. For example, insome examples, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 amay communicate with transceiver 122 over cellular link 120 a towirelessly communicate the vehicle data to remote network 130. As such,data acquisition device 106 a and portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a operate as a system 110 a that is positionableinside vehicle 102 a and that communicates information related to thevehicle and its driver. Moreover, at least the display portion, e.g.,portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a, of system 110a may be portable relative to data acquisition device 106 a and vehicle102 a, thereby permitting the user to view and input vehicle data ordriver information even when the user is positioned outside the vehicle.Further, because each portable wireless data transfer and display device112 a-112 c is portable relative to vehicles 102 a-102 c (FIG. 1) anddata acquisition device 106 a-106 c (FIG. 1), each portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a-112 c may be configured towirelessly communicate with any one of the nearby data acquisitiondevice 106 a-106 c. For example, if the driver carrying portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a switches to vehicle 102b (FIG. 1) for a new workday, the driver's portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a may be configured to wirelesslycommunicate with data acquisition device 106 b (FIG. 1) mounted insidethat vehicle 102 b for the workday.

Data acquisition device 106 a, including the example depicted in FIG. 2may include a number of additional safety and efficiency features. Forone, the device may include a “black box” application for real-timerecording of safety events data similar to what is seen in airplanesthrough flight data recorders. Just as in aviation, the accident datarecorder may record vehicle parameters related to safety and may recordinformation related to automobile accidents (for example, sudden changesin speed), material degradation, and automobile performance. The dataacquisition device may further include a feature for the computation ofInternational Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) data using tax algorithmsdependent on the state and nation the vehicle is within. The location ofthe vehicle may be determined, for example, by using one or more GPAsatellites 109. The data acquisition device may also be configured toreceive an input of safety settings by a party. For example, a companyemploying the driver and vehicle may wish to ensure that their driversdo not exceed a particular speed. In some examples, a data acquisitiondevice may track of when a safety violation, such as speeding, hardstop, or otherwise has occurred. Many more nuanced or complicatedconfiguration for safety system integration could be implemented, withthe driver, the driver's permanent employer, or the cargo owner allimplementing their own safety features into the data acquisition device.

Additionally, data acquisition device 106 a may also includeadditionally be capable of wirelessly receiving and downloading updatesfrom a portable wireless data transfer and display device unit 112 a viawireless link 114 a. Updates could be related to memory storage, the GPSreceiver, the accident data recorder, or any other configurable featuresof data acquisition device 106 a.

Referring now to FIG. 3, each data acquisition device 106 a-106 c mayoptionally be equipped with an external data port, e.g., a USB port, forexporting driver summary electronic reports or other data, such asvehicle information or driver data, to a temporarily connected externalstorage device, such as portable computer device 150, portable storagedevice 152, or the like. As described previously, data acquisitiondevice 106 a includes memory module 206 for storage of the vehicleinformation and other data, and portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a may receive the vehicle information and generatedriver summary electronic reports, such as an electronic duty of filereport. In some implementations, the driver summary electronic reportstored in the memory 116 of portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a may be copied to data acquisition device 106 a, e.g., viawireless link 114 a, for subsequent access by a third party such asvehicle inspector 154. Similarly, portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a may be configured to utilize a processor to processvehicle data and driver information into a driver summary electronicreport. Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a maythen wirelessly transmit the electronic report to a remote computer viaa wireless network. As an example of such data, under somejurisdictions, law enforcement or regulatory inspectors may beauthorized to request a copy of the data 206 in order to inspect thedriver's record of duty to determine whether the driver is in compliancewith laws that regulate the number of consecutive or cumulative hoursthe driver is permitted to be on duty in a given period. Thus, in somecircumstances, the driver summary electronic report may be generated byand stored in portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a,and this driver summary electronic report may be wirelessly communicatedto data acquisition device 106 a prior to exporting the driver summaryelectronic report via the output data port 302 of data acquisitiondevice 106 a.

As mentioned previously, the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice may also transmit the driver summary electronic report directlyto the remote device 150 via wireless network connection 802. In someexamples in which a copy of the driver summary electronic report isstored in both portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 aand data acquisition device 106 a, and the copies of these files may beupdated or sync prior to exporting the driver summary electronic reportvia the output data port 302 of data acquisition device 106 a or viawireless network connection 802 from portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a.

In the illustrated example, the vehicle inspector 154 may request that acopy of the data 206 be copied to the inspector's computer device 150 orthe inspector's portable storage device 152. To facilitate communicationbetween data acquisition device 106 a and computer device 150 ofportable storage device 152, computer device 150 or portable storagedevice 152 may be plugged into data output port 302 of data acquisitiondevice 106 a. As previously described, data output port 302 may be a USBport adapted to accept a USB connector 304 provided by any of computerdevice 150 and portable storage device 152.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in some examples, portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a may control the transfer of the driversummary electronic report to the inspector's computer device 150 or theinspector's portable storage device 152. For example, the driver summaryelectronic report or other data stored on data acquisition device 106 amay be protected from exporting via data output port 302 until the userprovides approval for the data transfer via user interface 208 ofportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a. In suchcircumstances, data stored on data acquisition device 106 a may beprotected from unauthorized users, and furthermore, data files stored ondata acquisition device 106 a may be updated or synced with the datafiles stored on portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 aprior to any file exporting operation via data output port 302. In thisexample, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a mayprompt the user, such as the driver or inspector 154, to initiate thefile transfer process wirelessly or via direct connection from dataacquisition device 106 a to the inspector's computer device 150 ordirectly to the inspector's portable storage device 152 via userinterface 208. User interface 208 of portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a may provide, for example, at least one controlbutton 306 that receives the user input indicative of a command toinitiate the file transfer process.

In some implementations, the user control button 306 may be a physicalbutton, a touchscreen button, a selectable menu item, or any other usercontrol mechanism on portable wireless data transfer and display device112 a. In other implementations, the control button 306 may be replacedor implemented with an input to detect a user gesture, a spoken command,e.g., speech recognition, or any other appropriate user action thatportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may detect as auser command. Additionally, portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a may wirelessly transmit the data or electronic reportdirectly to computer device 150 via a short range wireless connection,wireless network connection 802 or using an interface similar to thatrequired for transferring the data from data acquisition device 106 a toUSB connector 304 or data output port 302.

In response to activation of the user control button 306, system 110 ainitiates a process in which the driver summary electronic report orother data file is at least partially transferred to data acquisitiondevice 106 a for purposes of storing a copy of the file at dataacquisition device 106 a or otherwise updating an older version of thefile stored at data acquisition device 106 a. After the current versionof the driver summary electronic report or other data file is stored atboth portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a and dataacquisition device 106 a, the driver summary electronic report or otherdata file may be exported via data output port 302 of the driver summaryelectronic report or other data file. The operation for transferring thedriver summary electronic report or other data file to computer device150 or to portable storage device 152 may be an automatic process thatrequires no further user input on portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a and data acquisition device 106 a. For example,after the initial user input on the control button 306 of user interface208, the driver summary electronic report or other data file may beautomatically transferred via data output port 302 upon a properconnection with computer device 150 or to portable storage device 152.As such, the driver or the inspector 154 may plug the inspector's device150 or 152 into the communication port 302 either before or after thedriver activates the user control button 306, in which case a copy ofthe driver summary electronic report from data acquisition device 106 ais transferred via data output port 302 to the inspector's device 150 or152. When finished, the inspector's device 150 or 152, with the driversummary electronic report or other data file stored in the memorythereof, may then be disconnected from the communications port 302 andused by vehicle inspector 154.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4B, portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112, which may represent one of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 112 a-112 c, may provide the user interfacefor a corresponding one of data acquisition devices 106 a-106 c asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 1-3. Portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 may also be configured to display informationgathered from the devices shown in FIG. 1 such as data acquisitiondevice 106 a-106 c or control center 104. This includes vehicle data,driver information, processed data, and driver communications. Forexample, the short-ranged communication module utilized by the portablewireless data transfer and display device may be configured towirelessly receive data from a data acquisition device when the data ismounted within the vehicle and the portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device is in close proximity to the data acquisition device.Driver information may be input by the user via the user interface.

Furthermore, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 mayfunction to send data, using a communication module to send vehicle dataand driver information to a remote network device at predeterminedtimes. Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 may alsobe configured to wirelessly communicate vehicle data, driverinformation, and electronic reports with at least one remote networkdevice or other portable wireless data transfer and display device atpredetermined times via the communication module. Additionally, portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 may use the communicationmodule to: receive processed data from the remote network device usingthe long-range wireless network, send driver communications using thecommunication module to one or more other portable wireless datatransfer and display devices, send driver communications to one or moreremote computers, receive driver communication from another portablewireless data transfer and display device or a remote computer, and todownload configuration updates from the remote network device andindependently install them using an installation module. Portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 may also be configured tostore information, such as the vehicle data, driver information, drivercommunications, processed data, electronic reports, and remote networkdevice updates via memory.

In different examples, portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 may receive configuration updates representing relativelysimple updates; e.g., an update to conform to a change in governmentregulation. In other examples, portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 may receive more complex updates, such as softwareupdates that provide additional functionality or provide improvedservice in another manner.

Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 may also receiveconfiguration updates for data acquisition devices 106. For example,portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may receive aconfiguration updates for data acquisition devices 106 and then forwardthe update to its associated data acquisition device 106 a. Such anupdate may represent a firmware update for the data acquisition devices106. In different examples, such a firmware update result in the dataacquisition device 106 receiving different and/or additional informationfrom the vehicle's ECM. Firmware updates for data acquisition devices106 may otherwise changing the manner in which the data acquisitiondevice 106 interacts with either the ECM or portable wireless datatransfer and display devices or otherwise alter the manner in which dataacquisition devices 106 process data.

As shown in FIG. 4A, portable wireless data transfer and display device112 includes user interface screen 402 configured to present driver dutyinformation for display during operation of the vehicle. In someimplementations, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112may be any one of the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices 112 a-112 c depicted in FIG. 1, and user interface 402 screenmay be accessed from a menu selection on user interface 208 (FIG. 2).

In this example, user interface 402 includes driver name display area404, which displays the name of the driver or other driver informationassociated with driver. Such driver information may be input intoportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 or selected froma list displayed by portable wireless data transfer and display device112, and the driver information may be used in generating theaforementioned driver summary electronic report.

Still referring to FIG. 4A, a collection of status indicators 406 a-406d provides visual indications of several operational parameters ofportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 and/or anassociated data acquisition device, e.g., data acquisition device 106a-106 c. For example, status indicator 406 a may display a visualindication of whether portable wireless data transfer and display device112 is connected to transceiver 122 of FIG. 1 by one of communicationlinks 120 a-120 c. Status indicator 406 b may display a visualindication of whether portable wireless data transfer and display device112 is connected to its associated data acquisition device 106 a-106 cby one of Bluetooth connections 114 a-114 c. Status indicator 406 c maydisplay a visual indication of whether portable wireless data transferand display device 112 is receiving GPS signals 108 from GPS satellites110. Status indicator 406 d may display a visual indication of whetherportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 is connected toan associated ECM, such when data acquisition device 106 a is connectedto the ECM 206 of FIG. 2 by data bus 204.

In some examples, download button 408 is provided by user interface 402to accept user input indicative of a command to initiate a transfer ofdata from the associated data acquisition device 106 (FIG. 3) unit to anexternal storage device, such as computer device 150 or portable storagedevice 152 as described previously discussed in the description of FIG.3. Accordingly, the download button 408 may initiate a set of operationsin which particular data files stored on portable wireless data transferand display device 112 are copied to data acquisition device 106 orotherwise used to update with similar files previously stored on dataacquisition device 106. From there, one or more data files may beexported via data output port 302 as previously described in connectionwith FIG. 3. As such, the download button 408 may operate similarly tothe previously described control button 306 (FIG. 3).

In addition, user interface 402 provides a number of inputs for thedriver to alter his or her driver information, thereby affecting thedriver's hours of service and the aforementioned driver summaryelectronic report. For example, the driver may interact with usercontrol 410 a to indicate that he or she is in an “off duty” status. Thedriver may interact with user control 410 b to indicate that he or sheis in a “sleeper berth” status, e.g., the driver is resting in a sleeperunit associated with his vehicle. The driver may interact with usercontrol 410 c to indicate that he or she is operating his vehicle. Thedriver may interact with user control 410 d to indicate that he or sheis in an “on duty” status even when he or she is not driving thevehicle, e.g., inspecting the vehicle or performing other on-duty tasks.In some implementations, user controls 410 a-410 d may change theirvisual appearance to indicate the status currently selected by thedriver. For example, user control 410 a may be displayed with a brightercolor than user controls 410 b-410 d when the driver is in an “off duty”status.

Still referring to FIG. 4A, interface 402 of portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 may also display indicators related tothe driver's hours of service. For example, indicator 412 displays theamount of time the driver has left before he or she is in violation of apredetermined drive time limit. Indicator 414 displays the amount oftime the driver has left before he or she is in violation of apredetermined on duty time limit. Indicator 416 displays the consecutiveamount of time the driver has been off duty.

Additionally, indicator 420 displays the amount of drive time the driverhas accrued in a given day, which has an upper limit of “11 hours” oftotal drive time before he or she is in violation of a predetermineddrive time limit. Thus, the time values in indicators 412 and 420 mayadd up to the maximum drive time limit (“11 hours”). When the driver'stotal drive time in indicator 420 exceeds the upper limit, the indicatormay change colors, for example, to a red color to warn the driver of theviolation. Optionally, an indicator 422 displays the amount of on-dutytime the driver has accrued in a given day, which has an upper limit of“14 hours” of total on-duty time before he or she is in violation of apredetermined on-duty time limit. Thus, the time values in indicators422 and 414 may add up to the maximum on-duty time limit, e.g., “14hours.” When the driver's total drive time in indicator 422 exceeds theupper limit, the indicator may change colors, for example, to a redcolor to warn the driver of the violation. Further, an indicator 424displays the amount of total on-duty time the driver has accrued in aperiod of consecutive days, such as “8 days” for example. In thisexample, the total on-duty time the driver has accrued in an eight-dayperiod may have an upper limit of “70 hours” in this example. When thedriver's total drive time in indicator 424 exceeds the upper limit, theindicator may change colors, for example, to a red color to warn thedriver of the violation.

As shown in FIG. 4B, portable wireless data transfer and display device112 may provide another user interface screen 450 that depicts a summaryof the driver's duty log. In some examples, the summary informationprovided in this user interface screen 450 may be employed in the driversummary electronic report that is generated by portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 for purposes of sharing with theaforementioned inspector 154 (FIG. 3). In some implementations, the userinterface screen 450 may be accessed from a menu selection on userinterface 208 (FIG. 2).

User interface 450 in this example includes an electronic duty logrepresented by time chart 452. Time chart 452 provides a convenientvisualization of the driver's status, e.g., on duty, off duty, driving,sleeper berth, over a selected period of time. Date indicator area 454displays the date associated with the information presented by timechart 452. A time indicator area 456 displays the times associated withthe information presented by time chart 452. A time interval area 458displays the elapsed time durations associated with the various statusespresented by time chart 452.

A status area 460 displays the driver's current status or the statuspresented by time chart 452. In some implementations, the status area460 may include time information, status information, locationinformation, a remark, and (optionally) the driver's name or otheridentification information. In some implementations, the remark may beselected from a collection of predefined remarks, e.g., “fueling,”“breakdown,” “loading,” “unloading.” In some implementations, the remarkmay be entered by the driver. For example, the driver may need to entera remark that is not described by a predefined remark, e.g., “helping amotorist.”

The driver may interact with a user control 470 to cause time chart 452to display the duty status over a period of one day or otherpredetermined time interval of data on time chart 452. The driver mayinteract with user control 472 to cause time chart 452 to display a onehour or other predetermined time interval of data on time chart 452. Thedriver may interact with a user control 474 to cause user interface 450to present additional user controls that the driver may use to enterremark information that may be associated with one or more of thedriver's statuses.

In some examples, all or a portion of driver interaction with portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 may be locked out if thevehicle is in motion. For example, one or more features of userinterfaces 402, 450 may be unavailable to the driver if portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 determines the vehicle isin motion. In some cases, portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 may interact with the driver only via audible communicationssuch as warning signals or voice communications while the vehicle is inmotion. Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 maydetermine the vehicle is in motion via vehicle data from thecorresponding data acquisition device 106, or by other means, such as aGPS module within portable wireless data transfer and display device 112or from control center 104 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process 500 for communicating anelectronic report or other data from a data acquisition device via anexternal storage device. In one example, the techniques of FIG. 5 may beperformed to transfer an electronic report from a data acquisitiondevice, such as unit 106 a depicted in FIG. 3, to an external computeror storage device, such as the inspector's device 150 or 152 depicted inFIG. 3. Process 500 may include an operation 510 in which a driversummary electronic report, e.g., a summary of duty report, is held inthe memory module of a portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice, e.g., portable wireless data transfer and display device 112a-112 c depicted in FIG. 1. For example, data acquisition device 106 amay collect the vehicle data over a period of time when a particulardriver is using vehicle 102 a, and data acquisition device 106 a mayperiodically transfer this vehicle data to the corresponding portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a linked thereto viaBluetooth connection 114 a. Portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a may access the vehicle data along with other driverinformation, e.g., driver identification information and the like, so asto generate the driver summary electronic report for storing on thememory of portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a.

Process 500 may also include an operation 520 in which a wirelesscommunication from the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice, e.g., portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a,is received to indicate that the electronic report, e.g., the driversummary electronic report, is approved for exporting from the dataacquisition device. For example, the driver may activate the usercontrol button 306 as depicted in FIG. 3 so that portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a may prepare data acquisition device106 a for exporting the electronic report, e.g., the driver summaryelectronic report.

At operation 530 in process 500, the electronic report is also stored ina memory module of a data acquisition device, which is wirelessly linkedto the portable wireless data transfer and display device. For example,the electronic report, e.g., the driver summary electronic report, maybe wirelessly communicated via the Bluetooth link 114 a from portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a to data acquisitiondevice 106 a. This operation 530 may be performed in response tooperation 520. It should be understood from the description herein thatprocess 500 might be achieved by performing operation 530 either beforeor after the operation 520. If operation 530 is performed beforeoperation 520, then operation 520 may cause portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a to update the electronic report, e.g.,the driver summary electronic report, stored on data acquisition device106 a with a more recent version of the file.

At operation 540, the data acquisition device removably receives a USBconnection device at a USB port arranged along the housing of the dataacquisition device. For example, as previously described in connectionwith FIG. 3, data acquisition device 106 a may be equipped with a USBport 302 that is configured to removably receive the USB connector 304from an inspector's portable computer 150 or portable storage device152. In such circumstances, the vehicle inspector 154 may convenientlyplug the external computer device 150 or portable storage device 152into the USB port 302 provided by data acquisition device 106 a tofacilitate a transfer of the requested data from data acquisition device106 a.

Process 500 may also include operation 550 in which the electronicreport, e.g., the driver summary electronic report, is automaticallytransferred via the USB port of the data acquisition device to aportable external unit. For example, in response to the user input atoperation 520 and the receipt of the USB connection device at operation540, the driver summary electronic report may automatically transferredvia the USB port 302 the inspectors device 150 or device 152 without anyfurther user input at data acquisition device 106 a or its correspondingportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a. As such, dataacquisition device 106 a may be configured to output the driver summaryelectronic report directly to a temporarily connected external computerdevice 150, e.g., a notebook computer, or a portable storage device 152,e.g., a USB thumb drive, a portable hard drive, provided by a vehicleinspector 154, e.g., a law enforcement official, a regulatory inspector,or the like.

Process 500 may include operation 560 in which a signal is automaticallyreceived by the data acquisition device indicating that the USBconnection to the portable external unit is removed. For example, theUSB connection device 304 (FIG. 3) may be removed from data acquisitiondevice 106 a. When a USB device (sometimes referred to as a slave) isconnected to or disconnected from a USB host, e.g., data acquisitiondevice 106 a, there is a change on these USB data lines. It is thischange that the USB host may use to automatically detect that a devicehas been connected or removed.

FIG. 6 is flowchart illustrating process 600 for using a portablewireless data transfer and display device to transmit data to a networkdevice. In some examples, process 600 may be performed to communicate adriver summary electronic report via a cellular link established by aportable wireless data transfer and display device, e.g., portablewireless data transfer and display device 112 a depicted in FIG. 3.Process 600 may include an operation 610 in which vehicle data iswirelessly received at the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice from a data acquisition device mounted in a vehicle. For example,data acquisition device 106 a may collect the vehicle data over a periodof time when a particular driver is using vehicle 102 a, and dataacquisition device 106 a may transfer this vehicle data to thecorresponding portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 alinked thereto via Bluetooth connection 114 a.

In operation 620, an electronic report, e.g., the driver summaryelectronic report, is stored in a memory module of a handheld portablewireless data transfer and display device, which is in wirelesscommunication with the data acquisition device, with other portablewireless data transfer and display devices, and with other remotecomputer systems. For example, portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a may access the vehicle information along with otherdriver information, e.g., driver identification information and thelike, so as to generate the driver summary electronic report for storingon the memory of portable wireless data transfer and display device 112a.

The process may also include operation 630 in which a cellularconnection is established to a network for communication between theportable wireless data transfer and display device, in this example, acontrol center. For example, portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 112 a may establish the wireless connection 120 a withtransceiver 122, which is in communication with control center 104through the base station 124 and the network 130.

In operation step 640, the electronic report, e.g., the driver summaryelectronic report, is transmitted from a portable wireless data transferand display device to the control center. For example, the electronicreport and other data related to the driver or vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of computing devices 700, 750 that may be usedto implement the systems and methods described in this document, eitheras a client or as a server or plurality of servers. Computing device 700is intended to represent various forms of network devices, such aslaptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers,blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers. Computingdevice 750 is intended to represent various forms of portable wirelessdata transfer and display device, such as personal digital assistants,cellular telephones, smartphones, tablets, laptops and other similarcomputing devices. The components shown here, their connections andrelationships, and their functions, are merely exemplary only, andchanges may be made to these examples within the spirit of thisdisclosure.

Computing device 700 includes a processor 702, memory 704, a storagedevice 706, a high-speed interface 708 connecting to memory 704 andhigh-speed expansion ports 710, and a low speed interface 712 connectingto low speed bus 714 and storage device 706. Each of the components 702,704, 706, 708, 710, and 712, are interconnected using various busses,and may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners asappropriate. The processor 702 may process instructions for executionwithin the computing device 700, including instructions stored in memory704 or on storage device 706 to display graphical information for a GUIon an external input/output device, such as display 716 coupled to highspeed interface 708. In other implementations, multiple processorsand/or multiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiplememories and types of memory. Also, multiple computing devices 700 maybe connected, with each device providing portions of the necessaryoperations, e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or amulti-processor system.

Memory 704 stores information within the computing device 700. In oneimplementation, memory 704 is a computer-readable medium. In animplementation, memory 704 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, memory 704 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits.

Storage device 706 is capable of providing mass storage for thecomputing device 700. In one implementation, storage device 706 is acomputer-readable medium. In various different implementations, storagedevice 706 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an opticaldisk device, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solidstate memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in astorage area network or other configurations. The computer programproduct contains instructions that, when executed, perform one or moremethods, such as those described above. The information carrier is acomputer- or machine-readable medium, such as memory 704, storage device706, or memory on processor 702.

High-speed controller 708 manages bandwidth-intensive operations for thecomputing device 700, while low-speed controller 712 manages lowerbandwidth-intensive operations. Such allocation of duties is exemplaryand could be changed in other examples. In one implementation,high-speed controller 708 is coupled to memory 704, display 716, e.g.,through a graphics processor or accelerator, and to high-speed expansionports 710, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In theimplementation, low-speed controller 712 is coupled to storage device706 and low-speed expansion port 714. The low-speed expansion port,which may include various communication ports, e.g., USB, Bluetooth,Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, may be coupled to one or more input/outputdevices, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a scanner, or anetworking device such as a switch or router, e.g., through a networkadapter.

The computing device 700 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as astandard server 720, or multiple times in a group of such servers. Itmay also be implemented as part of a rack server system 724. Inaddition, it may be implemented in a personal computer such as a laptopcomputer 722. Alternatively, components from computing device 700 may becombined with other components in a portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device (not shown), such as device 750. Each of such devices maycontain one or more of computing device 700, 750, and an entire systemmay be made up of multiple computing devices 700, 750 communicating witheach other.

A network device exemplified in FIG. 7 may also be configured to receivevehicle data, driver information, and driver communications, atpre-determined times, from at least one portable wireless data transferand display device. This includes those portable wireless data transferand display devices 750, which may transmit the data through along-range wireless network. The network device may then store thevehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications inmemory 706. The network device may be configured to process any of thevehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communicationswithin the memory 706 into summary electronic reports via the processor702. The network device may then use the network communication module tosend the vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication,and the summary electronic reports at least one portable wireless datatransfer and display device via the long-range wireless network. In partto assist the user, the network device may also present the vehicledata, driver information, driver communication, electronic report to theuser using the display 716.

Furthermore, the network device may also upload any of the vehicle data,the driver information, the driver communications, or the summaryelectronic reports to a website (not shown) using a websitecommunication module. This website may be used to conveniently presentinformation to the any interested parties, such as the drivers, thecargo owners, the companies the drivers are working for, or for thenetwork device operators themselves. The user may also find it helpfulto use a configuration of the network device that presents vehicle data,driver information, driver communications, and electronic reports on thedisplay 716. Such a display may allow programmable categories andsubgroups including of particular drivers, vehicles, and companies toallow for customization of the display 716 presented to the user.

The network device may also be used to update the configurations ofvarious portable wireless data transfer and display devices units suchas 750, 780, and 782. This may also be done using the networkcommunication module. Examples of updates include communication orinterface updates of the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice. In different examples, configuration updates may representrelatively simple updates; e.g., an update to conform to a change ingovernment regulation. In other examples, configuration updates may bemore complex, such as software updates that provide additionalfunctionality or provide improved service in another manner. In furtherexamples, configuration updates may represent firmware updates for dataacquisition devices. In different examples, such a firmware updateresult in a data acquisition device receiving different and/oradditional information from a vehicle's ECM. Firmware updates for dataacquisition devices may otherwise changing the manner in which a dataacquisition device interacts with either the ECM or portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices or otherwise alter the manner in whichdata acquisition devices process data.

The various networks used by the network device, including thelong-range wireless networks, may be configured to utilize the Internetfor convenience or otherwise. The network device may further send storedvehicle data, driver information, driver communications, and driverelectronic reports to other remote computers using a managementcommunication module (not shown in FIG. 7). This may be done becauseamong other reasons for reasons including allowing third parties to viewthe information.

For instances where the network device is desired to serve as a databasefor information it may be further configured to expand upon the abovestoring and sharing of information. The network device may utilize thecommunication module to receive vehicle data and driver information, atpredetermined times, such as at real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, from a plurality of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices via a long-range wireless network. Thenetwork device may then store the vehicle data and driver information inmemory 706. To give the network device access to data throughout periodsof time, it may then successively store any updates of the vehicle dataand the driver information in memory 706 for each of the plurality ofportable wireless data transfer and display devices, such as device 782,780 and 750. This data may be stored, at predetermined times, such as atreal-time or at intervals that approximate real-time, when thecommunication module receives the vehicle data and the driverinformation from the plurality of portable wireless data transfer anddisplay devices providing the information. The network device may thanreceive data requests for vehicle data and driver information from oneof more remote computer devices, such as from the owners of cargo,driving companies, etc. This data may be received by using acommunication module and further sent using the communication modulethrough any network used by the network device and the remote computerdevices (not shown). In the same fashion as with the vehicle data anddriver information above, the network device may be configured toreceive driver communications from the plurality of portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices, store in memory, and send the drivercommunications to remote computer devices. Similarly, the network devicemay be configured to receive driver electronic reports from a computerdevice using the communication module and communicating using a network.The network device may then store the summary electronic reports in thememory 706 and successively store of updates of the summary electronicreports in the memory 706. These driver electronic reports may then besent using the communication module, with the driver electronic reportscorresponding to the data request sent from the remote computer devicethrough the network.

The computing device 750 is an example of a portable wireless datatransfer and display device. The computing device 750 may include aprocessor 752, memory 764, an input/output device such as a display 754,a communication interface 766, and a transceiver 768, among othercomponents. The portable wireless data transfer and display device 750may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive orother device, to provide additional storage. Each of the components 750,752, 764, 754, 766, and 768, are interconnected using various buses, andseveral of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or inother manners as appropriate.

The processor 752 may process instructions for execution within thecomputing device 750, including instructions stored in the memory 764.The processor may also include separate analog and digital processors.The processor may provide, for example, for coordination of the othercomponents of the device 750, such as control of user interfaces,applications run by device 750, and wireless communication by device750.

Processor 752 may communicate with a user through control interface 758and display interface 756 coupled to a display 754. The display 754 maybe, for example, a TFT LCD display or an OLED display, or otherappropriate display technology. The display interface 756 may compriseappropriate circuitry for driving the display 754 to present graphicaland other information to a user. The control interface 758 may receivecommands from a user and convert them for submission to the processor752. In addition, an external interface 762 may be provide incommunication with processor 752, so as to enable near areacommunication of device 750 with other devices. External interface 762may provide, for example, for wired communication, e.g., via a dockingprocedure, or for wireless communication, e.g., via Bluetooth or othersuch technologies.

The memory 764 stores information within the portable wireless datatransfer and display devices 750. In one implementation, the memory 764is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory 764 isa volatile memory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory764 is a non-volatile memory unit or units. Expansion memory 774 mayalso be provided and connected to device 750 through expansion interface772, which may include, for example, a SIMM card interface. Suchexpansion memory 774 may provide extra storage space for device 750, ormay also store applications or other information for device 750.Specifically, expansion memory 774 may include instructions to carry outor supplement the processes described above, and may include secureinformation also. Thus, for example, expansion memory 774 maybe provideas a security module for device 750, and may be programmed withinstructions that permit secure use of device 750.

The memory 764 may include for example, flash memory and/or MRAM memory,or other tangible mediums. The computer program product containsinstructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such asthose described above. In one or more examples, the functions describedmay be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over a computer-readable medium and executed by ahardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may includecomputer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible mediumsuch as data storage media, or communication media including any mediumthat facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place toanother. In this manner, computer-readable media generally maycorrespond to (1) tangible computer-readable storage media which isnon-transitory or (2) a communication medium such as a signal or carrierwave. Data storage media may be any available media that can be accessedby one or more computers or one or more processors to retrieveinstructions, code and/or data structures for implementation of thetechniques described in this disclosure.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storagemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flashmemory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer.

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one ormore digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors,application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablelogic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logiccircuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor,” as used herein may referto any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable forimplementation of the techniques described herein. In addition, in someaspects, the functionality described herein may be provided withindedicated hardware and/or software modules. Also, the techniques couldbe fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide varietyof devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integratedcircuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components,modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasizefunctional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosedtechniques, but do not necessarily require realization by differenthardware units. Rather, various units may be combined in a hardware unitor provided by a collection of interoperative hardware units, includingone or more processors as described above, in conjunction with suitablesoftware and/or firmware.

Device 750 may communicate wirelessly through communication interface766, which may include digital signal processing circuitry wherenecessary. Communication interface 766 may provide for communicationsunder various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, orMMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others.Such communication may occur, for example, through radio-frequencytransceiver 768. In addition, short-range communication may occur, suchas using a Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceiver (not shown). Inaddition, GPS receiver module 770 may provide additional wireless datato device 750, which may be used as appropriate by applications runningon device 750.

Portable wireless data transfer and display device 750 may alsocommunication audibly using audio codec 760, which may receive spokeninformation from a user and convert it to usable digital information.Audio codex 760 may likewise generate audible sound for a user, such asthrough a speaker, e.g., in a handset of device 750. Such sound mayinclude sound from voice telephone calls, may include recorded sound,e.g., voice messages, music files, etc., and may also include soundgenerated by applications operating on device 750.

The computing device 750 may be implemented in a number of differentforms, as shown in the figure. For example, it may be implemented as acellular telephone 780. It may also be implemented as part of asmartphone 782, personal digital assistant, or other similar mobiledevice.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here maybe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations may include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium”“computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device, e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablemedium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to providemachine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here may be implemented on a computer having a display, e.g.,a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, fordisplaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device,e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices may be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user may beany form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback,or tactile feedback, and input from the user may be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here may be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component, e.g., as a dataserver, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an applicationserver, or that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usermay interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here, or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system may be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., acommunication network. Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and theInternet.

The computing system may include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

FIG. 8 illustrates process 810 for a potential example of the portablewireless data transfer and display device, such as device 112 a fromFIG. 1. In this example, such a device may utilize a communicationmodule that is configured to send location information to a networkdevice, such as a network device of control center 104, through along-range wireless network, such as wireless network including wirelessconnection 120 a (812). The portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice may also receive one or more work requests from the networkdevice through the long-range wireless network (814). The communicationmodule may send or receive these communications at predetermined times.The portable wireless data transfer and display device may then presentthe work request on its display (816). In response, a driver may enteran input on the user interface and the portable wireless data transferand display device may accept the input from a driver responding to thework request on the user interface (818).

The portable wireless data transfer and display device may also beconfigured to automatically forward the driver's response to the networkdevice using the long-range wireless network (820). In this manner,driver may respond to a network device, for example, in order to informthe operator that he/she is able or unable to abide by the work request.In particular instances, the communication module may be furtherconfigured to receive a modified route corresponding to the work requestfrom the network device through the long-range wireless network.Therefore, upon acceptance of the work request by the driver on theinput, the portable wireless data transfer and display device maypresent the modified route through the display. This way a driver mayaccept a work request, and automatically have the schedule in his/herportable wireless data transfer and display device update to accommodatethe new schedule.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process 830 for associating vehicle usageinformation with a driver using a portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device, such as device 112 a from FIG. 1. First vehicle data iswirelessly received at the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice from a data acquisition device mounted in a vehicle (832). Forexample, data acquisition device 106 a may collect the vehicle data overa period of time when a particular driver is using vehicle 102 a, anddata acquisition device 106 a may transfer this vehicle data to thecorresponding portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 alinked thereto via Bluetooth connection 114 a.

Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a retrieves adriver identification, which may optionally be stored in memory ofportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a (834). In otherexamples, the driver may be identified by portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a in another manner, including but notlimited to driver input, e.g., password, and/or an electronic tag, suchas an RF readable tag associated with the driver.

In any event, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 aassociates the driver identification with the vehicle data (836). Forexample, portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a mayaccess the vehicle information along with other driver information,e.g., driver identification information and the like, so as to generatethe driver summary electronic report for storing on the memory ofportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a.

Association of the driver identification with the vehicle data byportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a prior tosending the vehicle data to control center 104 allows control center 104to populate its database without needing to first associate the vehicledata with a driver. Further, because the presence of portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a or a driver input is used toidentify the driver, the association between the driver and the vehicledata may be more accurate than with a system in which control center 104relies on driver assignments or other records to associate vehicle datawith a driver.

Then in real-time, at a predetermined time, periodically or otherwise,portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a forwards thevehicle data along with the associated driver identification to a remotenetwork device, such as a device of control center 104 (838). Thevehicle data along with the associated driver identification mayoptionally be packaged as a driver summary electronic report. Theprocess may include establishing a cellular connection to a network forcommunication between the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice and the remote network device. For example, portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a may establish the wirelessconnection 120 a with transceiver 122, which is in communication withcontrol center 104 through the base station 124 and the network 130.

FIG. 10 illustrates a process 840 for associating inputs of driverinformation with vehicle data using a portable wireless data transferand display device, such as device 112 a from FIG. 1. First, vehicledata is wirelessly received at the portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device from a data acquisition device mounted in a vehicle(842). For example, data acquisition device 106 a may collect thevehicle data over a period of time when a particular driver is usingvehicle 102 a, and data acquisition device 106 a may transfer thisvehicle data to the corresponding portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device 112 a linked thereto via Bluetooth connection 114 a.

Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a receives anindication of the vehicle identification as part of the vehicle data.The indication of the vehicle identification may optionally be stored inmemory of portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a(844). In some examples, the indication of the vehicle identificationmay represent a unique identifier of ECM 202 and/or a unique identifierof data acquisition device 106 a (FIG. 2).

Portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a may thenreceive an input from the driver and associates the driver input withthe vehicle identification (846). For example, portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a may access the vehicle informationalong with other driver information, e.g., driver identificationinformation and the like, so as to generate the driver summaryelectronic report for storing on the memory of portable wireless datatransfer and display device 112 a.

Association of the driver input with the vehicle identification byportable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a prior tosending the driver input to control center 104 allows control center 104to populate its database without needing to first associate the driverinput with a vehicle. Further, because a unique identifier of thevehicle is used by portable wireless data transfer and display device112 a, the association between the driver input and the vehicle may bemore accurate than with a system in which control center 104 relies ondriver assignments or other records to associate driver inputs and thevehicle.

Then in real-time, at a predetermined time, periodically or otherwise,portable wireless data transfer and display device 112 a forwards thedriver input along with the associated vehicle identification to aremote network device, such as a device of control center 104 (848). Thedriver input along with the associated vehicle identification mayoptionally be packaged as a driver summary electronic report. Theprocess may include establishing a cellular connection to a network forcommunication between the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice and the remote network device. For example, portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 112 a may establish the wirelessconnection 120 a with transceiver 122, which is in communication withcontrol center 104 through the base station 124 and the network 130.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrates user interface 850 of a network device, such ascomputing device 700 (FIG. 7). User interface 850 is shown in variousstates within FIGS. 11-13. A user of a network device may also beconfigured to manage customers or subscribers by way of user interface850. In one example, a network communication module is configured toreceive vehicle data and driver information. This data may be receivedat predetermined times, such as at real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, from a plurality of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices connected to the network device by one ormore long-range wireless network. The network communication module maybe further configured to receive subscriber information from one or moreremote computing devices in a network. This subscriber informationassociates one or more subscribers with the vehicle data and the driverinformation from a plurality of the portable wireless data transfer anddisplay devices. The remote computers may be, for example, corporatecomputers used by individuals managing a fleet. The networkcommunication module may then be configured to receive a request forvehicle data and driver information from a remote subscriber device(example, a company computer).The network device sends the vehicle dataand driver information associated with a subscriber according to thesubscriber information received earlier by the remote computer. In thismanner, for example, a company may monitor their operations.

The network device may include a processor configured to process thesubscriber information, one or more of the vehicle data, and one or moreof the driver data into a subscription report. This subscription reportmay compare the subscriber's vehicles data and driver's information withthe number of on-board-computer (OCB) subscriptions, driversubscriptions, or dual driver and OCB subscriptions.

The communication module may also be configured to receive a request forthe subscription report from a remote subscriber device. The device maythen provide the remote subscriber device with the processedsubscription report associated with the subscriber according thesubscriber information. Furthermore, the network communication modulemay be configured to receive vehicle data and driver information, atpredetermined times, such as at real-time or at intervals thatapproximate real-time, from a plurality of portable wireless datatransfer and display devices via a long-range wireless network. In thisway, an up-to-date subscription report may be created as thesubscriber's vehicle data and driver information may be updatingfrequently.

A network device may also be configured to allow for messaging. In somesuch examples, the network communication module is configured to receivevehicle data, driver information, and driver communications from aplurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices. Thesecommunications may be received at predetermined times through along-range wireless network. The network communication module can alsobe configured to receive a network communication from one or more of theportable wireless data transfer and display devices through thelong-range wireless network. The network device may be configured tostore the vehicle data, driver information, driver communication, andthe network communication in memory. In part to give the user a displayof the information, the network device may be configured to present thevehicle data, driver information, driver communication, and the networkcommunications from the plurality of portable wireless data transfer anddisplay devices to the user through a display. The network device canalso be configured to accept user inputs of network communications usingthe user interface, possibility in response to network communicationreceived from the plurality of portable wireless data transfer anddisplay devices. The device then may send network communications usingthe network communication module to the plurality of portable wirelessdata transfer and display devices through the long-range wirelessnetwork. These network communications may include route, information,forms (business or governmental, for example, destination pictures,landmark pictures, signatures, and safety warnings.

FIG. 11 illustrates a user interface 850 of a network device, such ascomputing device 700 (FIG. 7), presenting vehicle data, driverinformation, driver communication, and summary electronic report of theplurality of vehicles in a real-time by location display. As shown inFIG. 11, a plurality of vehicles are indicated on street-view map 862 offleet view tab 860. Although map 862 is depicted as a street view map,in other examples, an aerial view map, a conceptual view, or anothertype of map view, may be used instead of or in addition to a street viewmap. Fleet view tab 860 further lists vehicle IDs and correspondingdriver IDs in a location adjacent to map 862.

Fleet view tab 860 allows for selection of the vehicle. Selection of avehicle on map 862 induced pop-up window 863. A user to may send a workrequests to wireless devices corresponding the vehicles shown in byeither selecting one of the vehicles directly on map 862 or by accessingmessaging tab 865. A user may also retrieve route information for thevehicles shown by selection of the vehicle and clicking the appropriatelink on pop-up window 863.

Search box 864 allows a user to search for a vehicle, driver or address,which may or may not be depicted on map 862. After a user enters asearch term, map 862 may reposition to a new location in order todisplay the results of the search. In this way, a user can utilizesearch box 864 in one or more of a plurality of types of searches (e.g.,vehicle, driver and/or address), all of which are pertinent to fleetmanagement. In some cases, departure address, current address anddestination address may all be searchable parameters of the system.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, user interface 850 allows forcomparison and management of an interested party, for example, a companyowning a fleet of vehicles. Such a network device may utilize a networkcommunication module configured to receive vehicle data, driverinformation, and driver communications, at pre-determined times, from aplurality of portable wireless data transfer and display device within along-range wireless network. The network device may also be configuredto store in memory the vehicle data, driver information, and drivercommunications. The network device may use a processor to process any ofthe vehicle data, the driver information, or the driver communicationinto summary electronic reports. The vehicle data, the driverinformation, the driver communication, and the summary electronic reportmay then be presented by the display to the user.

One or more of the vehicle locations may also be tracked for a period oftime, which may be input by a user into the interface, so that thevehicle(s) past, present, or future locations may be viewed on thedisplay. In this manner, routes may be viewed and assessed, among otherfunctions. The user interface may also be configured to allow forselection of the drivers presented, in order to send work requests towireless devices in use by the selection of the drivers presented. Suchwork requests may include shipments that need to be made or altered, andthe user of the network device may use the display and interface toassess which drivers might be able to assist with delivery. The user maythen contact the driver(s) on their portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device unit(s) to see if they can accept some or the entire workrequest using the network communication module. The network device mayalso use the network communication module configured to send any of thevehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, and thesummary electronic report one or more portable wireless data transferand display devices in the long-range wireless network.

FIG. 12 illustrates a user interface 850 of a network device, such ascomputing device 700 (FIG. 7), presenting electronic driver scorecard872 within of performance tab 870. In other examples, user interface 850may be presented on a portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice, such as computing device 750 (FIG. 7).

A network device may be configured to produce user interface 850 asshown on the example of FIG. 12 for the purposes of providing anelectronic driver scorecard. This scorecard may be used, for example, bycompanies and individuals to analyze or compare safety and efficiencyinformation of drivers and vehicles. In particular examples, the networkdevice may be configured to receive vehicle data, driver information,and driver communications through long-range communication network atpredetermined times. These could be delivered to the network device fromportable wireless display and transfer units, from remote computers, orfrom some other source. The vehicle data, driver information, and thedriver communications may then be stored in memory. The device mayutilize a processor to process vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications into an electronic driver scorecard according tovarious safety and efficiency criteria. The electronic scorecard mayinclude one or more alphanumerical ratings according to a user'sselection of driver(s). In the example shown on page 26, a single driverhas been selected by the driver. The driver's overall fuel usage, numberof stop idles and other criteria are given numerical ratings. Similarly,the driver as a whole is given a total rating for a selected period oftime.

Electronic driver scorecard 872 displayed in FIG. 12 is produced by thenetwork device by processing vehicle data, driver information, anddriver communications. Electronic driver scorecard 872 includes anoverall numeric rating 873, which represent a composite rating ofmultiple factors. In other examples, an alphanumerical rating may beused. In different examples, the specified safety and efficiencycriteria may include any number of factors selected from a groupconsisting of: a fuel analysis; a speed analysis; a speeding analysis;an accident analysis; a violations analysis, a hard brake analysis, ahigh-speed brake analysis, an idle analysis, a regulatory complianceanalysis, an hours of driving analysis, a vehicle maintenance analysis,a cargo maintenance analysis, a corporate rule compliance analysis, adelivery history analysis, and a delivery time analysis. Any variety ofthese factors could define a set or sub-set of factors used anddisplayed by the system.

In some examples, the factors may be selectable by the user so as toallow the driver scorecard to be adaptive and modifiable by differentusers. In such examples, the alphanumeric score may be based on asub-set of selected factors that are selected by the user. Moreover, instill other examples, weights may be assignable to each selected factor.If weights are used, each factor may affect the overall alphanumericscore of the driver, based at least in part on the weight assigned tothe given factor. For example, the entire sub-set of selected factorsmay have a combined weighting equal to 1.0, and each factor may beassigned a default weight. The weights may be adjustable, and eachadjustment to one of the weights may result in a corresponding change tothe other weights in the subset so that the combined weighting alwaysequals 1.0. For example, six factors are selected, each factor may beassigned a default weight of 0.167. If the weight of one of the factorsis considered by a user to be more important, then that weight may beadjusted by the user, say to 0.2. In this case, in response to adjustingthe weight of one of the six factors from 0.167 to 0.25, the system mayautomatically adjust the weights of the other factors to 0.15 so thatthe weights of all of the selected factors combine to a total weight of1.0. In this way, both the factors used and the importance of eachfactor may be a customizable parameter in the system.

In some examples, the computing device may compute electronic driverscorecards for different group of drivers, and an electronic driverscorecard may categorize the drivers according to a specifiedorganizational grouping. In different examples, the specifiedorganizational grouping may include one or more of a group consistingof: home office, a type of driver, a type of vehicle, a type of cargo, acorporate entity, a government entity, a nonprofit entity, a cooperativeentity, a geographic location, a date of driver service, and a time ofdriver service. These groupings may also be selectable and configurableso as to allow the user to customize the scorecard.

In some examples, the computing device may evaluate drivers within afleet relative to one another according to the specified safety andefficiency criteria, and, based on the evaluation, present arepresentation of the relative performances of the drivers within thefleet to a user. For example, a plurality of drivers may be listedaccording to their respective safety and efficiency ratings, or based ontheir overall alphanumeric score.

As shown in FIG. 12, performance tab 870 illustrates news feed 874,which may present articles that are not intended only for the user, suchas industry-relevant information, weather reports or other information.In contrast, announcements 876, which is also shown in performance tab870, may include information specifically intended for the user, such asinternal company notifications or even messages uniquely addressed tothe user. In addition, performance tab 870 also includes driver detailblock 878. Driver detail block 878 includes identification and statusinformation for the driver evaluated by scorecard 872. Driver detailblock 878 also includes a selectable “View Log” tab, which allows a userto view the driver's detailed logs, e.g., as shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 illustrates a user interface of a network device, such ascomputing device 700 (FIG. 7), presenting a detailed driving log 880 fora selected driver. In other examples, user interface 850 with detaileddriving log 880 may be presented on a portable wireless data transferand display device, such as computing device 750 (FIG. 7).

Driving log 880 includes a listing of the date, miles driven and totalmiles traveled (as with tandem driving). Driving log 880 also includes alisting of driver and vehicle information 882 corresponding to drivinglog 880. Further, driving log 880 includes a timeline 884 thatgraphically represents the time the driver spent for different driverstatuses. As examples, driver statuses may include “off duty,” “sleeperbirth,” “driving,” and “on duty.” More detailed information about thedriver's activities for the day are included in events listing 886.Events listing 886 lists specified events, such as driver status changesand other events in reverse chronological order.

FIG. 14 illustrates a process 890 for generating an electronic driverscorecard, such as electronic driver scorecard 872 (FIG. 12). First, anetwork device, such as computing device 700 (FIG. 7), receiving vehicledata and driver information via its network interface (892). Forexample, the network device may receive vehicle data and driverinformation from one or more portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice, such as computing device 750 (FIG. 7). Then the network devicestores the vehicle data and the driver information with in memory (894).

The network device processes the vehicle data and the driver informationinto an electronic driver scorecard according to specified safety andefficiency as described with respect to FIG. 12 (896). The networkdevice may then present the electronic driver scorecard to a user (898).For example, the network device may then present the electronic driverscorecard to a user via a display of the network device or via a webmodule.

FIG. 15 illustrates a process 900 for sending network communications toselected drivers via the plurality of portable wireless data transferand display devices associated with those drivers via the long-rangewireless network.

A user interface of a network device, such as computing device 700 (FIG.7), is configured to allow for selection of the drivers presented and isconfigured to accept user inputs of network communications via the userinterface. For example, user interface 850 may accept user inputs ofnetwork communications via messaging tab 865 as described with respectto FIG. 11.

A user of the network device selects one or more drivers or vehicles(902). The user also inputs a network communication via the userinterface of the network device (904). In different examples, suchnetwork communications may include one or more of: route information,destination information such as pictures, signatures, forms, landmarkpictures, safety warnings, work requests, route changes or otherinformation.

The network device then sends the network communications to portablewireless data transfer and display devices associated with the selecteddrivers or vehicles via a long-range wireless network, such as acellular network (906). The portable wireless data transfer and displaydevices then present the network communications (908).

FIG. 16 illustrates portable wireless data transfer and display device910, which displays user interface 912 presenting a detailed driving log880 for a selected driver. Portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice 910 is a network device, such as computing device 750 (FIG. 7).

User interface 912 presents a variety of driver and vehicle informationfor a commercial driver with a number of display boxes. In particular,user interface 912 includes driver information box 914, which displaysdriver identification for the driver associated with portable wirelessdata transfer and display device 910. User interface 912 also includesdriver hours of service box 916, which displays drive time, drive timeleft and on duty time left for the driver associated with portablewireless data transfer and display device 910.

User interface 912 further includes message box 918, which presents avariety of messages to the driver associated with portable wireless datatransfer and display device 910. For example, such messages may includenetwork communications from a user of a remote networking device, suchas computing device 700 (FIG. 7). The messages may also includeinformation useful for the driver, such as information relating topotential points of interest along the driver's route, e.g., gasstations and fuel prices, as well as informational warnings related toperformance of the vehicle, e.g., scheduled or unscheduled maintenanceissues, and informational notices related to compliance withgovernmental or company regulations, such as information related tohours of service and/or International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA)compliance. Such messages may be ordered according to their likelyimportance, presented in reverse chronological order or orderedaccording to a driver's selection. The delivery and presentation ofmessages to the driver may be completely automated and may be deliveredonly during times when the vehicle is stopped. In other examples, theuser at the network device may configure the automated messages, e.g.,by selecting the information type and/or the delivery times thatmessages are delivered to the driver. In some examples, message deliverymay be limited to times when the vehicle is stationary, e.g., to promotesafety.

In some examples, portable wireless data transfer and display device 910may configured to generate a trip schedule using at least one of vehicledata, driver information, and the driver communications. Portablewireless data transfer and display device 910 may present in real-time,the trip schedule and the driver communications to the user via thedisplay. Such a trip schedule may optionally include one or more of thefollowing details: the driver's current location, destinations for thetrip, times when they are expected to reach their destination, a timeremaining to complete route, a trip route, a trip map, a time for whichthe driver may remain on duty, and/or one or more safety graphics, suchas warnings for road construction or other hazards. In some examples,the trip schedule may be configurable by the user, e.g., allowing theuser to select a sub-set of the factors listed above (or possibly otherfactors). The set of selectable factors may include some or all of thefactors listed above. In other cases, some factors may be mandatory forany trip schedule, and other factors may be selectable. In these ways,the trip schedule that is delivered to the driver can be madeconfigurable to the user of the system.

The trip schedule shown by the display may include, for example, thedriver's current location, destinations for the trip, the times whenthey are expected to reach their destination, a time remaining tocomplete route, a trip route, a trip map, a time for which the drivermay remain on duty, and one or more safety graphics. In some examples,the portable wireless data transfer and display device trip schedule maythen be displayed on one or more areas separate from the list of thedriver communications or in replacement of message box 918, for example.Again, the actual factors used in the trip schedule that is delivered tothe driver can be made configurable to the user of the system. A systemadministrator key or password may be required in order to make changesto the configuration of the system (e.g., to re-configure the scorecard,to reconfigure the messages, to reconfigure the trip schedule, or toreconfigure other selectable and adaptable parameters of the system.

In still other cases, however, some or the entire scorecard, messagesand schedule can all be fixed and non-adaptable by users. For example itmay be desirable to present a homogenous system to multiple users. Inparticular, it may be desirable to fix the factors and weightsassociated with the alphanumeric score, in which case, a driver'srelative score may be determined across multiple drivers associated withmultiple users. If the alphanumeric score were standardized acrossmultiple users, a raw score may be accompanied or replaced by a relativescore that identifies the driver's relative performance, as compared toother drivers. The relative score may be relative to other driversassociated with a given user, or if the factors (and weights if weightsare used) are standardized across multiple users, the relative scorecould be presented relative to drivers associated with multiple users,which may present a larger sample of drivers for comparison.

FIG. 17 illustrates a process 920 for presenting work requests to acommercial driver via a portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice, such as portable wireless data transfer and display device 910(FIG. 16).

The portable wireless data transfer and display device presents anetwork communication including the work request, e.g., via message box918 (922). The portable wireless data transfer and display device maythen accept an input from a driver responding to the work request viathe user interface (924). In some examples, the portable wireless datatransfer and display device may facilitate a driver's response to thework request with a single input, such as a button or touchscreen input.

The portable wireless data transfer and display device may forward thedriver's response to the network device via the long-range wirelessnetwork (926). In the event that the driver accepted the work request,the network device forwards an indication a modified route for thedriver (928). In some examples, the network device may send the modifiedroute itself to the portable wireless data transfer and display device;in other examples, the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice may calculate the modified route according to updated routeparameters and/or input from the driver or another user. The portablewireless data transfer and display device may then present the modifiedroute via its display (929).

In some examples, a portable wireless data transfer and display devicemay provide limited functionality when it determines a vehicle is inoperation or when it more specifically determines that its associateddriver is operating a vehicle. A portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device may determine the operational status of the vehicle andits associated driver via GPS signals, vehicle information, driverinput, network communications or using any other information sourceprovided to the portable wireless data transfer and display device asdiscussed herein or otherwise.

In some examples, portable wireless data transfer and display device maycommunicate only via sound, e.g., it may interact with the driver usingvoice communications. In other examples, the portable wireless datatransfer and display device may not accept and driver input, but maynonetheless continue to display information, such as route information,driver information and/or vehicle information automatically. In otherexamples, the portable wireless data transfer and display device mayonly provide important notifications. In yet another example, theportable wireless data transfer and display device may cease to interactwhen the vehicle is in operation.

In some examples, the portable wireless data transfer and display devicemay adjust the parameters of limited functionality according to thelocation or other operational parameter of the vehicle, e.g., in orderto comply with local regulations and/or company policies.

In some examples, the systems and techniques described herein mayprovide one or more of the following benefits. As one example, a systemfor communicating vehicle information may provide a data acquisitiondevice mountable in a vehicle and a mobile communication device, e.g., acellular phone that is configured to provide wireless communication withthe data acquisition device. As such, system may include a plurality ofseparately housed devices that are each configured to output electronicreports in different manners.

In some examples, a data acquisition device may be equipped with anexternal data port, e.g., a USB connection port, so that the dataacquisition device may output electronic reports or other electronicfiles via a hardwired connection to a remote computer. For example, avehicle inspector may carry a portable computer device or portablestorage device, and the driver, the inspector may plug the inspector'sdevice into the data port of the data acquisition device so as toretrieve an electronic report, or other electronic files via a hardwiredconnection to the unit mounted in the vehicle.

In some examples, a system may provide a mobile communication device,e.g., a cellular phone, that provides short-range, two wirelesscommunication with a data acquisition device mounted in a vehicle. Insuch circumstances, not only does the data acquisition device wirelesslycommunicate information to the mobile communication device, but themobile communication device may also transmit information back to thedata acquisition device. Therefore, one or more electronic filescontaining vehicle or driver information may be synced between the twoseparate devices for purposes of outputting the files in a number ofoptional manners. Furthermore, the mobile communication device maycommunicate electronic files containing vehicle or driver information toother mobile communication devices, remote computer(s), server(s), andother wireless displays.

In some examples, a data acquisition device mounted in the vehicle maybe constructed as a display-less unit that is free of any user interfacedisplay. Such a construction may reduce the size of the data acquisitiondevice, provide for simplified installation (and, in some examples,concealed installation inside the vehicle), and reduce the manufacturingcomplexities for the data acquisition device. In these circumstances,the user interface of the mobile communication device may serve as theuser interface for the system (including the data acquisition device).As such, the mobile communication device may be separately housed fromits corresponding data acquisition device so that the mobilecommunication device may be carried by the vehicle driver or other useroutside of the vehicle while the data acquisition device remains mountedinside the vehicle. Moreover, because the mobile communication device isportable relative to its respective data acquisition device, the drivermay view or input vehicle or driver information on the user interface ofthe mobile communication device both when the driver is seated insidethe vehicle and when the driver positioned outside the vehicle inproximity thereto, e.g., while inspecting the exterior of the vehicle,refueling, or sitting in a nearby building. Furthermore, the driver maycommunicate through the mobile communication device with other devicesconnected to the network while the mobile device and driver are out ofproximity required for short-range communication with the dataacquisition device.

In some examples, a data acquisition device may be configured to detectthe particular type of communications protocol employed by the vehicle,and automatically adapt to the detected protocol in order to communicatewith an engine control module of the vehicle. As such, the dataacquisition device may be installed in any one of a number of differenttypes of vehicles, and the installer's act of connecting the dataacquisition device to the vehicle's engine control module may prompt thecontrol circuitry of the data acquisition device to automaticallyrecognize the type of vehicle in which it is installed. In someexamples, this protocol information may be further transmitted to amobile communication device or portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device, which may than communicate this information to otherdevices connected to the network.

In some examples, a data acquisition device may house one or moreaccelerometers therein so as to detect particular types of vehiclemovement, such as hard brakes, acceleration, and lane changes. Instancesof this type of vehicle movement may be recorded by the data acquisitiondevice and communicated to a control center, e.g., via the mobilecommunication device, for purposes of safety monitoring by a fleetmanager or other system user. This information may further betransmitted in real-time for better safety.

A number of examples have been described. Nevertheless, it may beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, various forms ofthe flowcharts shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, orremoved. Also, although several applications of the systems and methodshave been described, it should be recognized that numerous otherapplications are contemplated. For example, although the techniques havebeen described in the context of road-based vehicles, the techniques mayalso be used with other transportation devices such as trains, planes,boats, or other transportation devices used for transportation ofpassengers and cargo.

Various examples have been described by way of this description and theaccompanying figures. These and other examples are within the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A network device comprising: a memory; aprocessor; a display; and a network communication module configured toreceive vehicle data, driver information, and driver communications, atpre-determined times, from at least one portable wireless data transferand display device via a long-range wireless network, wherein the memoryconfigured to store the vehicle data, the driver information, and thedriver communications, wherein the processor is configured to process atleast one of: the vehicle data, the driver information, and the drivercommunication into summary electronic reports, wherein the networkdevice is configured to send the vehicle data, the driver information,the driver communication, and the summary electronic reports via thenetwork communication module to at least one portable wireless datatransfer and display device via the long-range wireless network, whereinthe network device is configured to present the vehicle data, driverinformation, driver communication, driver summary electronic report to auser via the display, and wherein the network device is configured toremotely update of at least one portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device or at least one data acquisition devices associated witha portable wireless data transfer and display device via the networkcommunication module.
 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising amanagement communication module configured to send at least one of: thevehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, thedriver summary electronic reports to one or more specified remotecomputers.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein, the network device isconfigured to upload at least one of: the vehicle data, the driverinformation, the driver communication, the driver summary electronicreport to at least one website via a website communication module. 4.The device of claim 1, wherein the network device is configured topresent at least one of: vehicle data, driver information, drivercommunications, and driver summary electronic reports according toprogrammable categories and subgroups to the user via the display. 5.The device of claim 1, wherein the long-range wireless network isconfigured to utilize the Internet.
 6. The device of claim 1, whereinthe network communication module is configured to receive the vehicledata, driver information, and driver communications in real-time or atintervals that approximate real-time, from at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wirelessnetwork.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein remotely updating includes atleast one of a group consisting of: an update to conform to a change ingovernment regulation; and an update to provide additional functionalityfor the portable wireless data transfer and display device; and a dataacquisition device firmware upgrade.
 8. A network device comprising: ameans for receiving vehicle data, driver information, and drivercommunications, at pre-determined times, from at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via a long-range wirelessnetwork; a means for processing at least one of: the vehicle data, thedriver information, and the driver communication into summary electronicreports; a means for sending the vehicle data, the driver information,the driver communication, and the summary electronic reports to at leastone portable wireless data transfer and display device via thelong-range wireless network, a means for presenting the vehicle data,driver information, driver communication, driver summary electronicreport to a user; and a means for remotely updating of at least oneportable wireless data transfer and display device or at least one dataacquisition devices associated with a portable wireless data transferand display device.
 9. The device of claim 8, further comprising amanagement communication module configured to send at least one of: thevehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, thedriver summary electronic reports to one or more specified remotecomputers.
 10. The device of claim 8, further comprising a websitecommunication module configured to upload at least one of: the vehicledata, the driver information, the driver communication, the driversummary electronic report to at least one website.
 11. The device ofclaim 8, wherein the network device is configured to present at leastone of: vehicle data, driver information, driver communications, anddriver summary electronic reports according to programmable categoriesand subgroups to the user.
 12. The device of claim 8, wherein thelong-range wireless network is configured to utilize the Internet. 13.The device of claim 8, wherein the device is configured to receive thevehicle data, driver information, and driver communications in real-timeor at intervals that approximate real-time, from at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wirelessnetwork.
 14. The device of claim 8, wherein remotely updating includesat least one of a group consisting of: an update to conform to a changein government regulation; and an update to provide additionalfunctionality for the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice; and a data acquisition device firmware upgrade.
 15. A methodcomprising: receiving vehicle data, driver information, and drivercommunications, at pre-determined times, from at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via a long-range wirelessnetwork; processing at least one of: the vehicle data, the driverinformation, and the driver communication into summary electronicreports; sending the vehicle data, the driver information, the drivercommunication, and the summary electronic reports to at least oneportable wireless data transfer and display device via the long-rangewireless network, presenting the vehicle data, driver information,driver communication, driver summary electronic report to a user; andremotely updating of at least one portable wireless data transfer anddisplay device or at least one data acquisition devices associated witha portable wireless data transfer and display device.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising sending at least one of: the vehicle data,the driver information, the driver communication, the driver summaryelectronic reports to one or more specified remote computers.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising uploading at least one of: thevehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, thedriver summary electronic report to at least one website.
 18. The methodof claim 15, further comprising presenting at least one of: vehicledata, driver information, driver communications, and driver summaryelectronic reports according to programmable categories and subgroups tothe user.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving thevehicle data, driver information, and driver communications in real-timeor at intervals that approximate real-time, from at least one portablewireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wirelessnetwork.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein remotely updating includesat least one of a group consisting of: an update to conform to a changein government regulation; and an update to provide additionalfunctionality for the portable wireless data transfer and displaydevice; and a data acquisition device firmware upgrade.